Safe In Your Arms
by LiveBreatheVampires
Summary: Damon Salvatore finds a 14 year old orphan with a secret. However he hardly knew that the girl will change his world completely...D\E, AU. Warning: The story contains a lot of mystery element and twists. I suck in summaries so please read and review!
1. The Woods

I just had to get this out. I know I'm already writing two stories at one, but this idea just kept haunting me lol.

Based on the response, I think I will continue it. ;)

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><p>It was one of the emptiest nights of Damon Salvatore's life. Usually when he felt that way he'd bring a girl home and keep her around till dawn, but for once Damon wanted to be alone. The boarding house had become a miserable place for him to live in.<p>

It was less than two months before that Katherine Pierce broke his heart. One hundred and forty five years searching for her and he succeeded. What Damon didn't know, though, was that Katherine would go running right back to his brother's arms. Yes, he was the one that saved her, that got her out of there…But she chose his brother.

He wanted to get out of Mystic Falls, but even though the town had been nothing to him except for a complete nuisance he still found it hard to move. That town was his home, and as much as he hated to think about it, that town was the only link he had to his humanity. His human life, the life he missed the most. The life with his mother and father and a younger brother…The perfect life.

Damon finished drinking his bourbon, staring helplessly at the fireplace.

He knew that he had to move on. But he spent too much searching for Katherine and he didn't have a plan B. He had thought that he would live happily with the love of his life, ruling the night together. Damon's hands turned into fists and he threw the glass on the floor. He knew what would help him tonight.

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><p>Her knees were bleeding. She was tired of running. She was going to give up soon, this was how she was going to die.<em> No, she thought as a tear streamed down her cheek. I didn't spend five years fighting for nothing.<em> She would not let them hurt her anymore and play with her like she was nothing.

She'd rather die of starvation than die in the hands of someone cruel and cold. Elena wiped a tear away from her face as she made her way to the woods, the sign she passed through saying 'Mystic Falls' woods. She prayed that maybe someone would help her, God, maybe she'll find a hiker, at least.

However before she could blink there was a large pressure on her head.

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><p>It was 1am and even though he was a vampire Damon wasn't prepared for the cold in the woods even though he needed the usual distraction. The sky was dark black, and there was no moon, it was completely covered by the black clouds. It wasn't long before he sniffed and smelled something pleasant.<p>

Campers, most probably.

This was going to be fun.

Damon moved swiftly behind the trees, seeing if there were any camps nearby. He stopped when he heard people talking.

Oddly, the voices sounded stoned and drunk, and Damon as he focused on them more, he heard laughing and swearing, until one of them said,

"Are we going to wake her up or not?"

"I knocked her out good," Another one said. "I don't think she'll feel her legs if we wake her up now."

"Yeah, where did you put her, Aaron?"

"I put her in the camp. Don't worry, she can't escape."

"You do realize the payment we will receive once we return her to them, right Aaron?" A young blonde was saying.

"I know, love," Aaron replied. "We'll be more than okay."

Their conversation filled Damon with curiosity and without thinking twice, he went near their campsite. The four of them were about nineteen years old, and they looked like they were doing drugs. They were totally wasted.

Without warning Damon struck, hands closing around their necks, first devouring the taste of their blood, which although it wasn't pure since it was full of drugs it was still good. Then he finished the job by burning the bodies, and that was until he heard a small cough and he remembered about their conversation earlier.

Slowly, Damon went inside the tent and in it was a small girl laying there. She was briefly awake, her dress was torn and dirty, revealing some bruises which some of them were bleeding and her hair was a mess. Scratch that, Damon thought, she wasn't that small. Even though he sucked in predicting human ages, he was quite sure she wasn't more than fourteen years old.

He was challenged with a dilemma. What should he do? Finish her off like he did with the others?

Usually Damon didn't hurt kids, in fact even in his darkest periods he never hurt a child. But with the blood coming out of her wounds and the buffet he just ate he just wanted more and more. He shook his head. The second option was to leave her there, but then a thought crossed his mind.

Before he could speak, however, the girl coughed and opened her eyes. Damon sensed her fear when she saw him.

"I didn't want to run!" She said weakly, "But I had to…Please don't take me back to that orphanage!"

Damon couldn't understand a thing, but the girl was confused herself. Apparently she didn't even know where she was.

Before he could confront her about it, the girl had slumped unconscious again, and Damon blamed it on those wasted kids. He was almost positive that they drugged her.

He didn't even manage to catch a glimpse of her face, and curiosity always was Damon's main weakness. Scooping her up in his arms, he gently got her out of the tent and examined her.

He bit back a gasp as he studied her features.

She looked exactly like Katherine. Soft, brown hair and perfect olive skin. Her cheeks were pink, but her lips showed that she was very cold. And it was reasonable since she was only wearing that thin dress, which was also torn.

Damon sighed and took off his jacket, wrapping it tightly around the girl as he cradled her against his chest. He also noticed that the girl's hands were enclosed on something protectively, and when he took a closer look he saw that her hands were closed on a necklace around her neck.

"I've decided," He mumbled to the unconscious girl and to himself as he stared at her weak form.

"I'm going to keep you."

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><p>What do you think? Should I continue? Please leave a review!<p> 


	2. Captive

A\N Omg I love your reviews! I've decided to continue it, but please bear with me-I have other two stories going on so I'll have to divide my time wisely ;)

Disclaimer: I do not own the Vampire Diaries. Rights to Kevin Williamson, Julie Plec and the CW. Books rights belong to LJ Smith. This is purely fiction and I'm not receiving any profits.

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><p>Damon blurred all the way to his house with the girl in his arms after putting her hands securely around his neck. She woke up briefly at one point but it was a very short moment of consciousness. However she seemed to tense up as she saw the woods fly by in an incredible speed, so she quickly tightened her grip on Damon's neck.<p>

In response she felt Damon give her a reassuring squeeze and she instantly knew that even though they were practically flying he wouldn't let her fall.

The way home took longer than it usually took Damon since he was trying the best he could not to use his full vampire-speed because of the girl. Not that Damon minded that, because he used his time to stare at the girl in his arms as she slept.

When he reached his house, he laid her on the couch gently and he paced around the room to see if he could find her some clothes. Everything would be too large for her but he found a black t-shirt and pajama pants which weren't that bad.

"Damon?" A voice came from upstairs.

"Andie?" Damon replied, his face in his hands. He did not want to deal with her right now.

He heard footsteps and in a minute Andie was next to him. "I came a few minutes ago. I know you like company…" She finished as she walked seductively towards him, but Damon slapped her hand away and looked at the girl sleeping on his couch.

"What. The. Hell," Andie exclaimed as she finally saw her. "Who is she?"

"That's what I would like to know," Damon mumbled. "Look, make yourself useful and help her get cleaned and changed to new clothes."

"Who do you think I am? Your slave?" Andie groaned as she reached out for her purse, "I'm done being your slut toy. Go find someone else."

But Damon had already bored his eyes to hers and in a brief second she was half carrying Elena up to the bathroom.

...

After he sent Andie away and compelled her to forget that she ever saw a girl in his house, Damon walked tiredly and half drunk towards his ensuite bathroom.

She was sitting on his bed, clearly looking dizzy. However she looked even more beautiful, her skin was washed revealing her perfect olive skin and he had to admit she looked stunning in his shirt. She was exactly his Katherine…

Yet he shrugged the thought away. Katherine wasn't his, and the person in front of him was just a girl.

She was staring blankly at the wall, until she sensed Damon and turned to look at him.

"Who are you? Where am I?"

"I found you," Damon answered simply.

"N-No. I have to go," She said ready to walk away but she couldn't even move. Damon instantly knew that they drugged her to keep her unable to protest or resist.

"You need rest," Damon answered simply as he scooped her up in his arms again. When he laid her on a canopy bed with silky sheets Elena was already snoring lightly.

He looked at her sleeping for a few moments before going to bed himself.

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><p>When Damon woke up early in the morning he had already forgotten about her in his house. However when he saw her in one of the guestrooms he immediately recalled that he didn't even know her name. Damon knew well that this girl would definitely stay. He was Damon Salvatore, and he should get what he wanted.<p>

And right now that's what he wanted. Even if he didn't know what this would lead to, he was just curious. He wanted to know more about the identical twin of his ex lover and why she was kidnapped. After all, he had nothing to lose by keeping a girl there-He had no specific aim in his life anymore. And even if he got bored with his new distraction, he could always compel the girl to go away.

He sat on the bed and shook her, not too gently, in fact he was far from that.

"Wake up."

The girl's eyes immediately snapped open and Damon could see the chocolate brown color perfectly now. They were reflecting in the sunlight.

She backed up instantly as she grabbed the covers and covered herself even though she was fully clothed.

"W-Who are you?" She whimpered, "Why am I here?"

"You don't remember?" Damon asked.

"Remember what?"

"I found you in the woods. I brought you here, to my house, and voila…there you are."

"A man…" she mumbled. "There was a man. I fell…and blacked out and-" She interrupted herself quickly though. "Thank you for your hospitality. I should go now."

She was about to stand up but Damon pushed her back. "Woah, not so fast there missy. You are staying here."

"Look I'm okay now…thank you but I have to go," She replied, her voice clearly showing that she was panicking. "My mom is waiting for me at home and…"

"You told me you lived in an orphanage."

She was about to freeze when she stammered, "No, I…uh, I didn't know what I was saying…I just have a friend living in an orphanage and…"

Damon bit his lip from grinning. He loved them when they were panicked, her heart was beating out of her chest and that would only make her taste better. However he bit his lip and mumbled to himself, _"keep it together, Salvatore."_

"I can tell you are lying," He said taking a step closer to her, and she was about to back away again but she realized that she was already backed up.

"Please…I have to go home."

Damon sighed loudly. "Again with the lies. I'm not letting you go, sweetheart, I happen to be bored and I haven't really had anyone to toy with lately."

Before he even realized, though, the girl had managed to get out of the bed and run towards the door. However she didn't even make it to the hallway because he was behind her, closing the door again. Her back was almost pressed to his chest now as she closed her eyes.

He turned her around so that she would face him and he put both of his hands on each side of her head, having her trapped there.

"Now, let's be wise, shall we?" He pouted as she put her head down, her eyes closed.

When she didn't answer, Damon swore loudly and grabbed her chin forcing her to look at him. "Open your eyes."

When she didn't obey, Damon's voice was rougher. "Open your eyes!"

With that the girl immediately complied, slowly opening her eyes and looking at him with immense fear. Something in his heart felt for her however he put himself together. He had sworn to himself a long time ago that he would never care again. He surely wasn't going to care for a child.

"That's better," He said, keeping his voice demanding. "Now, be a good girl and tell me your name," Damon encouraged.

"E-Elena."

"Elena what?"

"G-Gilbert. Elena Gilbert."

The name did ring a bell to him, however he wasn't sure where he had heard that name before. He kept his face neutral as he slowly backed away from her.

"How old are you?"

"I just turned fourteen."

"Hmm," Was Damon's only comment as he eyed her over, lost in his train of thoughts. "Well, Elena, my name is Damon Salvatore."

Elena stayed frozen there even when he offered her his hand. Damon sighed.

"I think I should learn something about you if I'm stuck with you here."

"Stuck with me? You're the one that's keeping me here!" Elena screamed, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Please, just let me go! I've been held hostage almost my entire life by people I don't know! Please…I know you need me for something and I know he's making you do this but I don't know a thing, I…"

"Shut up," Damon interrupted rudely as he grabbed her by her arms. "What the hell are you saying, girl? I don't need you for anything…and no one's making me do this."

The girl stood frozen there as she stared into his eyes. "What?"

"Look, you're seriously fucked up," Damon groaned, "And I'm not in the mood to deal with you right now. So you are going to be a good lass and follow me downstairs. If you try anything unwise, I will hurt you. Do you understand?"

They were standing a hairsbreadth away from each other now, and Elena shivered. Damon smiled at this.

"You have some sense after all," He said circling her in the matter of a predator stalking its prey. "You are wise to fear me."

"I'll do whatever you want," Elena said pitifully. "Please just…don't hurt me."

"Let's do a reasonable truce," Damon reasoned. "If you stay put, your little aunt Jenna's safe."

Elena's eyes widened. "How do you know about her?"

"Apparently you tend to keep your diary on you at all times," He said tiredly holding out a small notepad. "You and your teenage dramas. It's on the first page. And what are these symbols, anyway?"

Elena immediately yanked the book away from him, the book she had in her little dress the night before. It was more a small notepad than a diary, actually, but that little book had everything she needed. The pieces of her life she had been finding out ever since she was nine years old. Her secrets.

Damon was still waiting for an answer but she simply shrugged. "Those aren't symbols."

He raised his brows, showing that he didn't really care. "Good. Now, do we have an agreement? If you do not behave, I will hunt down your aunt and any remaining family members you have left."

His words scared her. What did he mean "hunt down?" This man was dangerous, and Elena shivered at the thought of what he could do to her. What his intentions were. She clenched her diary close to her chest as possible as she nodded her head.

"Fine…I'll stay."

Damon smiled, proud of his work. However, as he indicated for her to follow him downstairs, he turned her around to ask her a question that had been pending on his mind.

"Elena."

She turned to him slowly.

"If your family abandoned you…If your aunt let you live in an orphanage, why would you want to stay here to avoid seeing her hurt? Why do you care?"

Elena turned red with fury. "I might be your hostage or your pet, but I will _never _open up to you, do you understand? You do not know a thing about my family or my life. And you do not want to know, either."

With that Damon was absolutely dumbfounded. God, he liked her determination. He never expected that a fourteen year old girl would act this way towards him.

No one had ever talked to him like that. He had expected her to cry, to yell profanities, to shrink back in fear…Instead, she tried to escape and talked back to him.

Well, let her try, he thought. She would never get out of there unless he wanted her to.

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><p><strong><em>So that's it for now, what do you think?<em>**

**_Important: _I'm picturing Damon the way he was in the beginning of season 1, kinda a darker, possessive Damon who doesn't let anyone get in his way. However, this is Rated T and there will be no dark themes. I don't write that. :P**

**Please leave a review!**


	3. A trance

Thank you so much for reviewing!

Glad to see that you like Elena as a fourteen year old-The reason for making her a fourteen year old is that I am fourteen years old myself and God…if I met Damon I think I would die. ;P

Please tell me what you think in reviews.

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><p>Elena followed him downstairs and she looked around the house examining every part of it. That was the first thing she learnt when she discovered that her life was a living hell-that the first thing you need to do was to examine the house. Escape routes, windows…However what confused her was that this house was perfectly normal. It was a boarding house and it was big, however there was nothing strange about it. It was almost welcoming, not a prison.<p>

-Flashback-

_"Please, you have to let me go, I'm sick!" She pleaded, her eyes full of tears as her hand gripped her stomach tightly. Blood was pooling down her belly and she didn't have an idea how or why._

"No you are not," The heartless man said, practically yanking her from her hair. "He wants you here. And he shall have you where he wants you."

There was no chance of escape in the house, and Elena fell on her knees, the pain becoming even worse.

"I need help!" She screamed again, but the only help she got was pressure applied on her until she slipped into the darkness.

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><p>-Present<p>

"Elena Gilbert," Damon mumbled again as he pulled out a chair for her and almost demanded that she sat, "Where are you from, Elena? I'm sure I heard your name somewhere."

"I'm always on the go," Elena answered shortly.

"But you surely must have a home."

"No, I do not."

"What about that orphanage you told me about?"

"I was a resident."

"And you escaped."

Elena's brows furrowed. "It's more complicated than you think. And I don't want to talk about it, not to you."

Damon bit back a grin at her determination. "Well, you have a problem then sweetheart, because I am the only one that you can talk to in here."

"Don't worry. I'll live."

Damon moved closer to her and reached out to push a stray piece of her hair away from her face. She shivered at the light touch and this only amused him more.

"You're going to have to change that attitude, sweetheart," He said after backing away.

"Let me go," she pleaded. "Please. I won't tell anyone a thing."

"I know you wouldn't," He replied with a smirk. "But I don't want to do that."

"So what are you just going to keep me here until the end of time?" Elena yelled, standing up and taking an instinctive step back.

"Maybe."

When she realized it was no use, Elena sat back down again and waited for her captor to speak.

"Let's see," He said simply, "How about we make some rules?"

He didn't wait for an answer and his voice sounded stern and cold. "You shall never leave this house without my permission. Not that you can anyway," He added with a grin. "And you will be in your room by midnight. Do you understand?"

"W-Why?"

"Because I told you so," Damon said, keeping up the same tone of arrogance in his voice. "If you'll be a good girl I don't have to hurt you. Not because I can't, because I don't want to." He was playing with her fingers now and he was clearly waiting for an answer.

She managed to nod her head, but then suddenly the girl turned pale. Her head felt heavy and before either of them could react, the girl's mouth opened and her eyes blanked, fixed on Damon's face.

"What are you?" She screamed in a horrifying voice.

Damon jerked back, which was something very uncharacteristic of him since he didn't fear anyone. However, she startled him.

"Demon," She choked out. "Devil."

"What are you saying?" He flashed in front of her now, shaking her. As he touched her, though, the girl slumped unconscious on the chair and if it wasn't his fast vampire reflexes she would've fallen to the ground, hard.

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><p>Elena woke up on the couch with a killer headache. She realized that she had blacked out and the thought scared her. The last time she had blacked out it didn't turn up good for anybody, especially her.<p>

Damon was nowhere to be seen and the window showed that it was getting dark soon, in fact the clock marked six pm. She had been blacked out for more than three hours and she wasn't feeling good at all.

She wiped her eyes and rubbed her lip softly but nearly screamed when she saw that her hand had turned crimson. Blood.

In the shadows, Damon was observing the girl. She was not a human and he was sure of that, the second he smelled her blood and that necklace…The necklace she was wearing. He was sure he had seen it somewhere before. What scared him, though, was earlier. She seemed in some kind of trance when she yelled those accusations at him, and she was definitely acting like a witch. He knew witches and their weird trances, however he was almost positive that this girl was more than that. Something deeper…darker.

He had fed her his blood because her heart rate was dangerously slow. He seemed shocked at first that she seemed like she couldn't even tolerate his blood, being magically spilled all over her body before he used his ways to make the unconscious girl swallow. And then, after using as much force as possible, the blood seemed to work even though it was a long process. He mentally cursed himself for not wiping the blood off her hands.

"When you fell and you cut your arm with that," Damon stepped in, pointing at a piece of wood which was dangerously in the middle of the room.

"Oh."

"Are you in pain?"

"I'm fine, I think," She replied after a few minutes of hesitation. "What happened? What did I do?"

"What do you mean? Does this happen often?" Damon said confused when the words left her mouth.

She sighed. There was no point in not telling him now. "I black out often. But usually bad things happen when I do."

"You looked like you were in a trance."

"I told you. I black out, so I don't remember."

Damon chewed on his lip, not knowing what to say or do. When the silence stretched out for too long he went into the kitchen hoping to find a decent coffee jar to make her a cup of coffee, and when he did he returned with two cups.

"Drink up. Coffee helps."

She took the cup from him almost suspiciously but then she slowly raised it to her lips and closed her eyes. She must've been thirsty, he concluded, and for once he felt guilty for not thinking about it sooner.

"Thank you," She said with a very small smile.

He cleared his throat and then added, "I'll get you something to eat."

Elena nearly choked on her coffee. "You are giving me food?"

_What the hell was wrong with her?_

He scoffed. "Well, do you know another way of survival instead of food?"

"No, but…"

"Forget it. I'll see what I can fix you."

Damon found a packet of noodles in the house which apparently was one of the few foods Zach left in the boarding house before he lost his head. He glanced at Elena while he was cooking them and saw that she was examining the family pictures.

"Who is this?"

"That's my brother, Stefan."

"He looks terribly familiar."

"Oh?" Damon furrowed his brows. The situation he had put himself in was getting more stranger.

"Yeah. I know him from somewhere. I can't remember how." She let the picture down on the shelf again and took the plate from Damon.

As he watched her eat, she said, "I had a brother."

"Had?"

"He died."

Damon offered no sympathy although he was sorry for her. "How?"

"He was killed. Murdered."

"Do you know who did it?" Damon clenched his fists together unknowingly.

"No. The police never figured it out."

She continued to eat in silence and when she finished Damon took the plate away from her.

"You should have a shower. There are some clothes in the first drawer."

She immediately complied and Damon took this time to devour his bourbon again.

"Elena?" He called out impatiently when he thought that she had been in there for too long.

"I'm almost ready."

Before he could sigh again the door opened revealing Elena in one of the everyday outfits and a white cotton robe Andie had brought her. Damon had compelled her to bring Elena some clothes and apparently Andie had a good taste.

Elena bent down to pick up her towel from the floor and it was then when Damon saw purple bruises all over Elena's back. They were fading and they were not bleeding, however her entire back was marked. Without warning Damon cornered her and folded down her bathrobe.

"What are you doing?" Her eyes widened in surprise as she made a move of slapping him on his face, however he caught her wrist.

Damon used the other hand to fold down her bathrobe revealing more of those purple bruises.

"What happened to you, Elena?"

"Why do you care?" She spat.

That was true, she caught him there. Why would he care? So, keeping his voice as cold as possible, Damon said, "Well, I can't have my toy die of an infection, right?"

"They are not bleeding. I don't have the risk of an infection, and I don't need your help either."

She made a move of walking away from him but Damon let out a loud growl, grabbing her waist and pinning her to the wall with his body. When her arms shot out to try and hit him again, Damon grabbed them roughly and pinned them on the wall next to her head, still holding her in a bone-crushing grip.

"Where did you get those?" he asked again, this time not gently.

"It's all in the past!" She yelled, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Please! Just let it go!"

Damon let go of her hands but kept her pinned to the wall. She kept her eyes closed, her breathing dangerously slow and her heart was racing.

His arm rose to stroke her cheek softly.

"Are you going to hit me?" She asked after a few minutes of silence.

"No, I'm not," Damon said with so much assurance as he could muster.

She visibly relaxed and opened her eyes, staring at him until she finally reached his eyes.

"Come on," Damon said after a while of uncomfortable silence. "Let's see what we can do about them."

Half heartedly and hopelessly Elena followed Damon without a word, playing along. However she knew that she would figure out a plan on how to get out if there. She wouldn't be a loser. She always fought back.

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><p><em>A\N Slowly starting with the secrets ;) <em>

_Suggestions, constructive criticism and positive feedback are highly appreciated! Thank you so much for reading!_


	4. Emotional Pain

A\N: Wow the response has been amazing! Thank you so much!

Do not hesitate to add suggestions and constructive criticism is appreciated.

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><p>Elena was sitting on the elegant chocolate-brown countertop now and Damon was applying some kind of liquid on a cotton pad, sometimes looking at her from the corner of his eye.<p>

He moved closer to her and gently folded the bathrobe down to expose her shoulder and he kept himself from hissing. Sure, he wasn't exactly treating her right, but he could never hurt a woman like this in his life, yet alone a girl. At first Elena attempted to jerk away from him and tightening the robe around her protectively, and he raised his hands in mock surrender.

"Look, I just want to help," He said, his voice sincere for once. Elena suddenly felt the strange feeling that he was being honest, and without any more hesitation she let him fold down her robe again and apply the liquid on her wounds. She hissed.

"Do they hurt?"

"Sometimes," Elena admitted weakly. "But the physical pain that comes with them is nothing next to the emotional pain of when I see those marks."

His face softened as he continued to work on the other bruises on her body.

She stared at him as he handled the wounds with care, and she never thought that he was capable of being so gentle like the way he was now. He caught her staring at him and she blushed, immediately looking down. She had to admit, dressed in his plain black t-shirt and dark jeans he looked absolutely handsome, but in her heart Elena knew that he was the perfect example of dangerous beauty.

"All done," Damon said as he offered her his hand, helping her down.

"Thank you," Elena smiled a little, then turned away to grab the cotton pads he had used. However, as Damon caught a whiff of her scent in general, he was filled with the deep desire to taste her blood. Before he could even control it, his eyes turned red with lust and his fangs immediately elongated, and he could already imagine himself tearing at the girl's neck.

However as she turned back to face him, Damon had enough self control to turn away from her, taking a deep breath to calm himself and let his face return to that of a human rather of a demon.

"I got this. Go upstairs," He ordered her sternly, he knew quite well that if she stayed there he would literally eat her alive.

She obeyed immediately, feeling scared of his sudden change of temper and Damon immediately scurried off for his glass of blood.

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><p>Elena was holding her notepad in her hands, and as a wave of nostalgia washed over her she tried to blink her tears away. Reading the diary was always like a knife pressed into her heart, however the pain was the only reminder that everything she had gone through was real. Her fingers caressed the page in which there was a small photo of her family.<p>

She closed her eyes, imagining her life when it was perfect.

"_Mommy, where are we going?" The little brown-haired girl was crying took her hand and started running._

_"Shh, it's going to be okay, baby. I promise. Everything will be okay." _

"_Jenna, she's the only child I have left. You have to protect her, Jenna-Please."_

_And the nine year old Elena was left crying on her Aunt's porch as the heartbroken mother pressed her lips to her daughter's cheek. "You will understand," She wept. "Sometime you will. Here, this is my necklace, Elena…take it and take care of it."_

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><p>Elena woke up crying. The same dream she had been dreaming ever since she was just a child. The night that her mother took off, the night she didn't quite remember.<p>

Elena wiped her sweaty forehead. She was almost positive that the dreams that she had been having were signs, or better, guidelines to help her remember. She didn't know what she had to remember, but for about five years Elena felt empty…Like a part of her life was missing. Like she was into some kind of coma which affected her life. She had very few memories of her perfect life; all she remembered was that one day when she was nine years old her mother came home from work very early and in a few minutes her father and young brother were on the road to a new town in Arizona, not even packing or saying goodbye to anyone.

Even though Elena was only nine years old at that time, she sensed that something was very wrong. Her mother started to become very sick and tensed all the time and then things turned worse when her brother was killed in a very mysterious way. The police never found out who was the one that stabbed the boy to death, however all Elena remembered was that after that tragic day they hit the road again and her mother fell into a deep depression and sadness.

What Elena never figured out, though, was one particular night. All she remembered were just pieces of her memory, however in her dreams she saw chains, fire and blood, and then complete darkness. Then her dream would slowly turn into that night her mother gave her to Jenna and made her promise to keep Elena safe.

Turned out Jenna was running from something too, all of them were. And Elena knew it was because of her. _They _went after Jenna because of her. It was always because of her and she knew it. And then when they took her to that 'orphanage'…

She wiped away the tears that were streaming freely down her cheeks as she hugged herself as if to feel comfort and protection. She just wanted someone to love her without getting killed or in trouble, like her parents and Jenna. Also, she wanted someone to just love her for her, a little human teenager, not because of her complicated life.

She started to think about Damon, then. In her heart, she felt like she knew him somewhere, however her fear and lack of trust in people, especially men, made her feel small compared to him. Elena had been toyed with her entire life and she learnt that she couldn't trust anybody or ask anyone to help her. Yet, Damon was the only man that was different. She had fallen victim of captivity before, always the bargaining chip, and it was never good.

However, she knew well that she wasn't staying with him at her own free will, and she didn't want to live like this. She had to escape from there and go somewhere, anywhere…Most of all, she wanted to protect Jenna. She had done a lot for her, more than any relative could do. Jenna helped her grow, gave her food, shelter and protection and told her what she was.

Yes, it was true. Elena's powers were what many creatures desired. She had been told that she was a doppelganger with powers-Not a witch, but the only creature like this in the world. According to Jenna, Elena could do pretty much anything against every creature that came along the way. Her blood was like holy water to the damned creatures that aimed to take her away. Jenna never got to tell her who the creatures were, because Elena was kidnapped and threatened a few hours after she had learnt her secret. All she knew was that one of them repeatedly threatened her that he would kill Jenna if she ever tried to go back, and that from that day on Jenna was almost treated like a hostage in her own home, a human slave to the dark creatures.

This brought her back to Damon-Damon threatened to harm Jenna too, and she was afraid that Damon was one of the creatures made to deliver her to the one that wants her blood served on a silver platter. She was struggling with her feelings right at that moment, mostly for two reasons: Damon didn't seem to know about her, and second because of all the creatures doing his dirty work were all cold and ruthless.

She sighed deeply, trying to calm herself down.

* * *

><p>Damon finished three blood packs in one setting. He was feeling unexplainable hunger. From the first time he got a whiff of her amazing smell his lips ached to close on her neck and taste her delicious blood. However he refused to indulge, he knew that his needs could easily be fulfilled by a random girl around town, who wouldn't want to sleep and be bitten by Damon Salvatore? And Andie always seemed available when he wanted a distraction. As much as he hated to admit it, Damon knew that Elena wasn't the same. Elena was a rose among weeds, a rose that could blossom under his great care when he was ready to let the human side in him take control for just a little while. He couldn't use her and throw her away like he did with others, because she was special.<p>

And by special, Damon didn't even know what he meant. Because she was truly special: Her existence was the first reason, the photocopy of his ex girlfriend. Her charm, her looks, her smell, they all played a part on his delicate vampire needs and senses. She was also special because she was unique and mysterious, filled with the deep desire to run from something…something he didn't know about yet.

He could also feel the resistance when he tried to control and compel her dreams for the first time when she was half asleep and it mysteriously didn't work. At first he thought that vervain was involved but he didn't smell any.

He wasn't going to let her go until he knew who she is. It didn't matter if it was just for curiosity or care, he just wanted to know. Any second Elena would play right into his hands like they all do, and it would be up to him to decide if Elena really was more than human.

* * *

><p>After hours of nervous observing Elena managed to find a window which she could easily jump from if she intended to escape. She could hear Damon's snores on the couch now and she instantly realized that this could be her chance to leave this place. Nervously Elena concentrated on the height, she was experienced enough to know if it was safe or not. For once, the window lead to a small part of the back garden and even though she would need a rope. Seeing that their were no ropes around, obviously, Elena turned to the sheets on the bed tying them together in a secure knot which Jenna had told her to do in case of emergencies. It had worked before and there were larger heights, so it was supposed to work now.<p>

Carefully Elena secured a part of the sheet so that she could easily hold on to them as she jumped on the solid ground, and with that, she ran like hell, looking back frequently to assure herself that Damon wasn't after her. She ran along the road, hoping to find a cab or a car to get out of there…She didn't even know this place.

There were no houses in the entire road, it was like deserted. It was getting cold now and she was getting breathless, and with great effort she stopped running. She was a safe distance away from the house now.

Or at least she thought.

She let out a bloodcurdling scream as Damon appeared in front of her and grabbed her in a vice-like grip.

* * *

><p>He practically pulled her with him the entire trip to his house. Her wrists and arms were so sore of his rough fingers digging deep into her skin, and the more she struggled the more he intended to hurt her.<p>

"I'm sorry…Stop…please…." Was all that Elena managed to say as he continued to roughly pull her with him. Most of all, she was afraid. The last time she escaped from someone and got caught, it had cost her a black out and bruises the next morning.

"You knew it wasn't going to be pretty if you disobey me, Elena," Damon spat arrogantly as he walked faster. "Why did you do it?"

"Because I don't want this!" Elena yelled, and a sudden wave of power flashed over her and she slapped him across his face, so hard that his head turned around.

She took a step back in fear when she realized what she had done and Damon growled.

"Don't ever do that again…"

Deficient, Elena's hand was about to shoot out again, but this time Damon grabbed it in an iron grip and forced her hands on her back, pinning them together tightly as they managed to get to the house.

He raced to the basement with Elena still with him and he threw her to the ground, hard.

"When you learn to behave, I'll set you free," Damon said simply, "And we will discuss your punishment for disobedience in the morning."

With that, Elena heard a low 'click' and realized she was locked in the cold basement, and his words frightened her. What was he going to do the next morning?

Elena let out a sob once more as she curled into a ball, trying to keep herself warm.

…

However itt was only a few hours later that Damon slowly entered the basement again and found the girl sleeping on the hard, cold floor. He felt guilty for once and sighing deeply, he wrapped a blanket around the girl who really was freezing. He didn't mean those words earlier, he just wanted to scare her because it angered him, her escape.

He kneeled down next to her and stroked her cold cheek lightly.

"Don't worry, Elena. I'm not going to hurt you."

With that, Damon returned to his bedroom, but not before he pulled Elena up in his arms and placed her on his own warm bed as he went downstairs for another drink.

* * *

><p><em>What do you think? Tell me in reviews, please :)<em>

_Love you all! Hope you enjoyed!_


	5. Elena

The next morning Elena woke up in a warm bed with silky sheets, in a very strange bedroom. She shot up on the bed when she remembered that before she fell asleep she was in the basement, not in a room.

"Good morning, lazybones," Damon's voice was dangerous, even taunting. He was leaning against the door, taking in her cute, messy appearance.

Elena jerked back in fear and her back immediately hit the headboard.

"I'm sorry about yesterday!" Elena said, trembling. "I-I was afraid, I'm sorry…please don't hurt me."

Damon walked up to the bed slowly, as if he was worried that he would frighten her if he advanced too fast on her. He could feel her tense up before he was a hairsbreadth away from her. She closed her eyes and he studied her carefully.

"If you do it again next time, I'll have to make sure you are sorry," Damon threatened the poor girl.

She shook her head, her eyes still closed and Damon could hear her heart beating so fast that for once he was afraid that she was going to have a heart attack.

"Elena, open your eyes."

"No," She said stubbornly.

"Elena, open your eyes," He repeated in a demanding tone. Elena slowly opened her eyes and looked at him, almost pleadingly.

He sat down next to her on the bed and he was about to say something when he noticed a pattern on her necklace that he didn't quite notice earlier. He reached out for her necklace gently and observed it for a while, and then his brows furrowed in confusion. Her necklace was made of a lapis lazuli pendent; however the pattern in it was clearly something that he saw before.

"Where did you get this necklace?"

"My mom gave it to me, before she died."

Damon's eyebrows shot up as he remembered where he had seen this symbol before. It was the symbol of the pentagram that represented the five elements practiced by the wiccans.

"Are you a wiccan?"

"_Excuse me_?"

"That necklace," Damon explained, "Is the symbol of witchcraft and it represents the five elements: Spirit, Earth, water, air and fire."

"Well, I don't know what you are talking about," Elena tried to scoot away from him but he didn't let her.

"Elena," He warned her sternly.

She sighed in frustration. "You won't believe me!"

"Try me," He said, scooting closer to her and resting his back on the headboard.

"I don't even know where to start…"

"Well, you can always start from the beginning."

She let out a sigh, resigned. "Okay. I have nothing to lose anyway." She cleared her throat. "I don't remember much of my childhood, except that I lived in a family that loved and cared about me. My parents raised me and my brother in a very nice environment and we had a good upbringing I guess. We lived right here in Mystic Falls until I was three. When I turned four, we went to live in Georgia and I had everything there, friends, a good school with nice teachers…I was happy."

Elena let herself smile a bit at the nice memories, and Damon couldn't help but not stare at her and say how adorable and beautiful she was when she smiled.

"The trouble started when I was eight years old. My brother, as I told you last time, was killed, shot in a mysterious way. My dad found him dead in the forest and my mom saw the body even though my dad tried to kept her from seeing it. She became traumatized from that day on. We left Georgia and went to live in Arizona, hoping to start a new life. However, then I slowly started to realize that my mother was running from something-from someone. She never told me exactly what it was, but then I keep dreaming of the night that I found myself in Aunt Jenna's house. My dad was nowhere to be seen and my mom was crying hard, and she showered me with kisses. She gave me her necklace, the necklace I'm wearing now, and promised me that Jenna will explain everything when she's gone."

Elena tried not to cry but was failing greatly. "I never got an answer why she left me there. However, Jenna kept her word…She told me that I am a doppelganger of someone and that I have special gifts. She said that many people will come for my powers and try to hurt me or kill me. She was right."

"What special gifts?" Damon asked, looking at Elena with compassion.

"I don't even know. I mean, I'm nothing special. However I do blackout sometimes and feel like I am in a séance. It happened with you too, but I can't control my body or my actions when it happens."

"That night when Jenna told me what I was, I remember I heard a loud impact on the door. Before I could even breathe, Jenna lead me through a door she had showed me to use in case of emergency. She told me that a lady will be waiting for me to help me and explain to me everything that is going on. I had quickly remembered that a few days ago I had heard Jenna talking with a lady about me, so before I could even say goodbye I was led out of the door. I heard screaming afterwards and don't know what happened to Jenna, however I later find out that she was still alive."

"So where did you go then?"

"I ran without knowing where I'm going. However, Jenna was right-There was a lady waiting for me. She told me not to worry because I am safe and they will explain everything later. She told me to keep my head down in the car and I obeyed, afraid of what I was going to find. Then in a minute our car crashed upside down and I remember that the next morning I found myself in a bedroom, tied to a chair, and a strange man was grinning at me widely. He kept saying things about how much they desired my powers and how much they want me dead because I could destroy everyone. He kept telling me that he will be the one that receive the prize after he delivered me to _him_."

Before Damon could ask anything, Elena was crying already. "I spent an entire month there, Damon. And he was mean and a monster. He was more than human…And I couldn't do anything against it. When he was drunk he became worse. After a month I escaped and I managed to find the orphanage Jenna had asked me to go into. From there, I learnt that witches exist, but I wasn't a witch. I was a human doppelganger that could end all species."

"Species?"

"Monsters. Demons," Elena explained, her eyes wide. "I wasn't ready for that. Then again we were attacked and I was discovered yet again. Each time it got worse. I spent five years trying to learn more about me, escaping and learning not to trust anyone. When you found me, I had just left a supposed to be orphanage. I was thirteen when I arrived there, Damon. I soon started to realize that I needed safety. So I knocked on the first orphanage I found…and begged for food and shelter. And then I found out it wasn't really an orphanage…they were waiting for me. It was all planned. I spent almost a year trying to get out of there. The bruises I got were all from there." Elena ran her fingers on the faded bruises. "They were abusive. They hated me and loved seeing me in pain…All for something I didn't even know about. For something I couldn't even control. Sometimes the pain was too strong that I begged them to kill me and deliver me to the person that wanted me. I was tired of running."

Damon couldn't stand it anymore. He let himself care; he was feeling horrible for even threatening the girl. He grabbed her and pulled her closer to his side, stroking her hair in a soothing manner as she cried. She had gone through so much…

"I-I was ready to d-die," she whimpered, "I wasn't even going to try and escape again. I ended up by trying to take my own life multiple times. But I just couldn't. Every stab I stabbed through myself wasn't enough to kill me. However I gained courage again when one of the men in the 'orphanage' came home drunk. He tried to…force me to kiss him. I knew what was coming when he refused to get off me. Without a second thought, I shoved this necklace in his face…It was an instinct. His face was burnt in a mere second, leaving me time to escape."

"I ran like hell until I came to Mystic Falls. Apparently the people you saved me from were going to deliver me to him soon. What I never understood was why they always kept me with them instead of delivering me to him right away. And what I can't remember is what happened exactly the night my mom dropped me off at Jenna. Where my father is, and where she is. Jenna was alive, they told me that if I co-operated she would live. However they told me that if I took a step towards her house ever again, they had compelled her to kill herself."

"Compelled?" Damon asked, he prayed that this story had nothing to do with vampires.

"They can control minds."

"Elena, what are these monsters like…?" He asked her carefully, fearing her answer.

She bit her lip.

"These things shouldn't exist," She told him simply.

"I want you to tell me."

"I don't know. I never got to see their true face, but I imagine them as bloodsucking demons…vampires."

For once Damon was speechless. This girl had been running from his kind, and she was the doppelganger of his ex-girlfriend. She was connected to him more than he was willing to accept. He couldn't tell her his secret, no. She would run from him like a crazy person, and in a weird way he didn't want to lose her. He wanted to know more about her, maybe even help her. After all, she was innocent.

"You don't believe me," Elena stated.

"I think the world is a mysterious place, Elena," Damon said quietly, that was the best answer he could offer at that moment. "Everyone has a past and a secret. I'm sorry that you had to go through all that…especially in a young age."

"Thank you," Elena smiled honestly.

"There is always hope, Elena," Damon shook his head. "However if vampires do exist and they want your power, then you have to make sure that you know who you are dealing with. You must know your powers."

"Jenna had the information I needed," Elena replied quietly. "But obviously I cannot go now."

She sighed and leant back on the bed. "I'm so scared."

"You don't have to be," Damon replied, trying not to be too sympathetic but comforting at the same time. "Here no one can touch you."

She bit her lip. She still didn't want to be there…she was a prisoner there, after all. As if he could read her thoughts, Damon said, "You have shelter and food here and all I ask in return is your obedience. I think it is a good deal, isn't it? You said it yourself that it was hard to survive without food."

"I don't trust anyone, Damon," Elena said sternly. "They took that away from me. Everytime I allowed myself to trust someone it ended up badly…really, really badly."

"I am not asking you to trust me," Damon replied. "I just want you here."

"For your pleasure," Elena barked, "There is no other reason of you keeping me here except for your pleasure!"

Damon let out a devilish grin. "Maybe you're right," His finger trailed her carotid artery. "Maybe you are here for my pleasure."

"In that case, you have the wrong person! You can't keep me here forever."

"Wanna bet?" Damon's cocky voice returned, and Elena was taken aback by his arrogance. She reached out to slap him again, however he caught her wrist in a hurtful grip.

"You're not getting any food or water until you behave yourself," He said simply and he left the room, locking the door behind him.

* * *

><p>It was six pm again and Elena was getting thirsty and hungry. However, when Damon had unlocked the door to let her out, she refused to eat or drink anything. She remained in her room, frozen as a statue.<p>

"Are you planning on starving yourself to death?"

"Maybe…"

"Well, I can't have that happen," Damon flashed in front of her with a meal he made Andie cook. "Eat. Or I'll make you."

"I am not hungry."

"I can hear your stomach contract in hunger, Elena," Damon hissed. "Now. You're going to eat, or I am going to force it down your throat."

* * *

><p>After the almost forced meal, Elena settled in for a nap. She didn't want to talk to Damon or having anything to do with him. However, when she opened her eyes she found it was about eleven. She made her way out of the room to go into the bathroom, however curiosity took over her as she heard sounds coming from one of the bedrooms. Her blood froze in her veins as she saw the sight.<p>

Andie was wearing just her undergarments and Damon was on top of her, and he was kissing her roughly. Then, Elena's eyes widened in fear when Andie let out a bloodcurdling scream as Damon sank his face in her neck. Damon's head snapped around when he sensed that they were being watched, exposing his true face to Elena.

Elena let out a scream and she turned on her heels, running like hell.

* * *

><p><strong>What do you think? I hope that you liked Elena's story. As it says on the genres, it is a Mystery story so there is a lot more, after all Elena doesn't remember everything that happened that night.<strong>

**Please leave reviews, there are a guarantee that i'm doing good ;)**


	6. Rescues

A\N Good news, no A\N today except thanks for reviews ;) **Oh and I messed up about Elena's brother, I forgot to say that he was shot AND stabbed.**

Enjoy!

* * *

><p>She didn't even know where she was going. She didn't care that her feet were almost swollen due to the cold hard floor. She didn't even realize that the front door just practically burst open as she screamed for it to be open when she ran through the corridors of the Salvatore house.<p>

She was in the streets now, wearing only a little nightgown Damon had given her, without socks or even shoes since she had left those in her room. She was crying unstoppably, traumatized at the sight of the one she had just seen.

Elena froze as a familiar face stepped in front of her, along with three other men.

* * *

><p>The moment Damon realized Elena had seen his true face he had tossed Andie around on the floor and put on a shirt quickly, ready to follow Elena. He realized that his front door was almost kicked down and for a moment Damon decided to let her go. It wasn't going to be the same and Elena was making it difficult for him to decide what he wanted. A part of him wanted to allow himself to care again, maybe to even love and protect. On the other hand, he knew that love only brings pain and hate afterwards, and sometimes he wanted to keep the girl around for revenge against his humanity taken away.<p>

But as Damon was contemplating, he heard her scream.

…

Elena was standing frozen in front of four men. They were all staring at her with huge grins on their faces as one of them advanced on her. Her blood froze in her veins as he smirked, "Our dear Elena. We caught you again."

The second one laughed cruelly. "This time we shall make sure that you are delivered next to Klaus's doorstep, honey. Because everytime you are captivated, you always seem to escape…what is your secret, huh? Tell me, Elena…" He took a step towards her so that she had her back pinned to the hard wall behind her. He caressed her cheek and she flinched, amusing him even more as he twirled her hair with his other hand. "Tell me…"

She started to scream but he silenced her with an unbreakable grip on her neck.

"I'll behave…Just s-stop h-hurting me," Elena said with a shaky voice. "Please."

"Oh, you will," The second one smirked, and he started to pull the strap of her dress down, inching forward so that he could brush his lips there. In a minute, her sleeves were torn and Elena panicked as he didn't make a move to stop his act. She tried to jerk away but he kept holding her tight and threatened that he'd hurt her more if she didn't stop struggling. Without warning he hit her and she flew to the ground, and she felt something sharp press into her skin.

However before anything else could happen the man was flying off her and the other three men stared in disbelief. Elena remained frozen pinned to the wall, and then she felt a wave of dizziness occur and a dark-haired man was in front of her protectively, and in a brief second the man who had tried to take advantage of her had a hand stuck at his chest.

The last thing Elena saw was blood.

* * *

><p>She was freezing. It had been a while since Damon was worried about someone, but as he called Elena for the hundredth time and she didn't respond he grew even more worried. Her skin had turned into a shade of blue and she was so cold. He couldn't imagine what could've happened if he didn't make it in time. He couldn't imagine that there were people that were ready to hurt and abuse an innocent young girl. She was fourteen years old, for God's sake! He tightened his grip on her protectively and he felt her stir.<p>

"D-Damon?" She whimpered, both from the cold and fear.

"Shh, Elena, I'm going to take care of you," He promised her sincerely. "You'll be fine."

He saw her turn crimson as she realized that her dress was half torn and she tried to cover herself as much as possible. Damon locked his eyes on her face and in a few minutes he had her lay down on the couch, starting a fire to keep her warm. He turned on the light so that he could see her face and if she had any bruises, and he hissed when he realized she had an ugly cut in her thigh.

"Elena, if you allow me to, I can heal your wounds," He said softly.

The girl shivered. "H-Heal me how?"

"You saw what I am tonight, Elena."

"No," Elena said in disbelief, "I don't have any idea of what that means…These things don't exist. They just can't."

She looked down, tears in her eyes. She knew that she could end various species…monsters, but she never imagined that the monsters were like Damon, beautiful and human-looking. She always imagined the one that she had to be delivered to as a bloodsucking demon, but not like Damon. All the men that kidnapped her were human-like, their actions were what made them monstrous. She believed that the monsters that she was to kill with her existence were ugly creatures from hell. Tears streamed down her cheeks again, tears for being almost raped, for Damon being something more than human, for her life…

Damon sighed and went to sit down next to her. "Look, I don't blame you for being scared. But I already told you, I don't mean you any harm."

"What are you?"

Damon bit his lip. "There are things you don't understand. Your beliefs are about to change, are you ready for that?"

"_What _are you?"

"I'm a vampire."

Elena's eyes widened and she slowly backed up. She winced in pain when her back hit the headboard hard, and she stood frozen on the bed waiting for something-anything-to happen. She couldn't run. She didn't have the strength to run, or to hide, or even to scream. It was useless anyway. She just stood there waiting for him to do whatever he wanted to do to her.

Damon could hear her heart racing and he didn't know what to do or say. Usually if someone discovered his secret he would've snapped their necks right there. Not that it happened often, because usually he compelled his victims to believe that he is human. But with Elena it was different. It never happened before, and Elena was not just an ordinary human girl. She was special.

"Elena," He started, "Let me explain."

"I don't want to hear it," She said, her voice muffled with her cries, "I-I can't."

"Yes, you can," Damon replied, moving a bit away from her so that she could finally see that he wasn't going to hurt her. It seemed to work, because Elena visibly relaxed, but she remained frozen on the bed.

"What do you want to tell me? That you are going to deliver me to him, like the people you saved me from? That's why you saved me, didn't you? So that it'll be you that takes me to Klaus."

_Klaus. _The name was not new to Damon.

"Elena, I honestly don't have anything to do with any of it."

"Yet you let me believe that I could trust you! I started to trust you, Damon, you are the first person that I told about my life story. And ironically enough, you were not a person I could trust, because I didn't even know you. You let me confide in you when you are one of them!"

"What did you want me to do, Elena?" Damon snapped. "Tell you what I am? Or would you rather prefer me to take a drink from you to show you who I am?"

Elena flinched.

"Yeah, that's what I thought, too."

"The truth is, Damon, that you deceived me. You made me believe you are human."

"You knew I was a monster the moment I kept you here."

"That doesn't mean I thought you were more than human," Elena spat.

Damon sighed in frustration. "Go on, then. What are you going to do? You want to leave? Fine, then, leave. The door's open. I'm not keeping you here anymore."

He got off the bed. "You're free to go…But I do warn you, if someone knows my secret, I'll have to get rid of them."

Elena stared at him in disbelief. Did he just say she was free to go?

She had nowhere to go, but she always survived on her own. She knew that she could leave first thing in the morning, because she was too scared to go out now after her accident.

Elena laid back, saying a silent prayer before going back to sleep. Her wounds were hurting, but she didn't want his help.

* * *

><p>It was seven am but the sun was already shining. The house was quiet and Elena slowly woke up looking for her clothes. She got dressed quickly and she knew that she had to leave before Damon returned home. She didn't want to face him again.<p>

However, she did feel a bit guilty that she was leaving like this. After all, she didn't get to thank him for saving her. God knows what those men could've done to her if Damon didn't step in the day before. But she was too scared to face her fears. However, guilt was Elena's weakness. She got a piece of paper and with a shaky hand she wrote a small thank you message. He did deserve it, after all.

With a small plastic bag in hand with some clothes, Elena walked out the back door.

* * *

><p>When Damon returned home after having a nice buffet available from the local women, he found that Elena had left. Even though he was the one that decided to set her free he soon started to feel that that girl filled his house. Without her, he was empty again, and even though he knew she hated him he still enjoyed her company. Just having a human girl around, smelling her amazing scent in the morning and hearing her heart beating, and mostly just knowing that he wasn't alone in that giant boarding house.<p>

However as he was contemplating he heard a loud noise coming from the parlor. He flashed to the room and when he was scanning it around to see if someone had intruded his home, he was suddenly attacked by another vampire. He was pinned to the ground and before he could even blink the wooden stake the other vampire had been holding was pressed against him, against his chest, arms, legs…

"Remember me?" The vampire growled.

"Ben?" Damon said panting, helpless as the other one continued to stake him.

"You took Katherine away from us, you son of a bitch," He growled, "You have no idea for how long I waited for this. For me to torture you. I watched Katherine being taken, you bastard!"

"Wait, Katherine's alive," Damon groaned, "She's free."

"You are lying," Ben continued as he got a piece of vervain and dug it into Damon's face. "Now, here's how it's going to work. You tell me how to open the tomb or I swear to God that I will rip your heart out right now."

Damon was telling the truth, though. Katherine had gotten free because of his brother. It was Damon that found the way to get her out first, but Stefan apparently had found a way to get her out before. What hurt, though, was that he spent over one hundred and forty five years searching for her, waiting for her…Stefan didn't. Stefan got over her, and then he took her from him at the last minute.

"Katherine's free," He repeated again.

Ben stopped for a minute. "I guess I believe you. But I hate you too much to leave you like this."

He continued to torture him, weakening him with vervain, and then he raised the stake he had been holding as Damon desperately tried to fight him off or at least scoot away from him. But whenever vervain weakened Damon, it weakened him for good.

That was it, he thought. After a hundred and forty five years his time had been over. Ben lowered the stake and turned Damon around, pressing it to his back. Without warning, he lit a match and was ready to burn him alive along with this house, when a tiny voice screamed.

With supreme effort Damon saw Elena running towards him.

"Let him go," she begged. "Please, don't hurt him!"

"Katherine?" Ben asked confused, but the girl looked younger. Not to mention, human. Elena focused on the match and it was put down, much to her surprise.

"Let him go," Elena pleaded again, but Ben turned around to stake Damon again. However before he even made a move, Elena stared at Ben and she felt herself getting lost into an entire different world. Damon realized that she was in some kind of trance, and Ben let out a bloodcurdling scream when every bone in his body started to break. Elena couldn't take her gaze off him, and every second she stared at him Ben's screams maximized until the vampire was set on fire.

Elena stepped out of her trance and looked confused around her, before darkness overwhelmed her.

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><p>Damon had been trying to wake her for minutes now, calling her name and even trying to nudge her. But he couldn't stand up since he was pinned to the ground due to the stake stuck in his back. He couldn't believe that she came to help him. She was lying unconscious now, weak and pliable, and Damon couldn't help her. He hated feeling helpless.<p>

After a few long minutes Elena started to open her eyes, rubbing her head where she had hit due to the fall. She looked around and for a while she seemed lost and she forgot where she was. But when she saw Damon with a stake in his back she immediately remembered and she ran to him, pulling the stake and helping him up.

With great care she helped him to sit on the couch and she sat next to him.

"Oh my God," She gasped when she saw the marks on his body.

"He vervained me," Damon choked out, "I can't heal."

"Is there anything I could get you?" Elena asked in horror.

"There are some blood bags in the chest freezer in the basement," Damon said with a pained look.

Elena flinched but she shook her head and went into the basement, getting him a few blood bags. When she returned, she gave them to him and wetted a cloth to put on his wounds. As he drank, she lifted his t-shirt up and put the warm cloth on his wounds, helping to soothe them and clean the blood at the same time.

Damon stopped drinking so that he could stare at her. She was staring at his wounds profoundly, too alienated to even notice that he was staring at her. He couldn't help himself and he reached out to put his hand on the back of her neck, stroking her hair. She looked surprised at this unexpected contact, but she did look up so that she could lock her eyes with his. Damon was smiling at her softly, though he was in pain.

"Thank you for coming to my aid."

"You're welcome," Elena said softly. "I couldn't just leave you there. Thank you for saving me yesterday. God knows what could've happened if you didn't save me."

She placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Are you feeling better?"

"I'm better, thanks," He said, his voice polite and soft.

"I'm glad. Well, my work here is done now," Elena wiped the last few drops of blood from his stomach and started to scoot away from him so that she could stand up.

However, he reached out to grab her arm gently, not forcefully, and he pleaded with his eyes, "No. Please, don't go."

Elena stared at him, noticing that he had asked her, not forced her.

"I'm not forcing you to stay. I'm asking you. Will you stay a bit?"

She sat back down next to him. "Okay."

However, as she said those words Elena raised her hands up to her brow bone, suddenly feeling a bit dizzy.

"What's wrong?" he asked in concern.

"Nothing Damon, I'm f-fine," she mumbled, but she didn't seem fine at all.

"No, you're not, you are so cold," Damon said, his voice heightening with worry as he felt her hand. It was cold as ice.

Before she could even speak, Elena felt her head spinning. "I think I caught a fever," She said weakly. "From yesterday. I'll just rest for a bit, I'll be fine."

Time passed, and Damon was getting better, however it wasn't the same for Elena. She started to become cold and dizzy, and Damon was getting worried.

"Elena, do you want me to call for a doctor?"

"No…I think…." She gasped as she remembered, "Damon, did I kill the vampire that was hurting you?"

At first, he bit his lip, but then he nodded. "Yes."

"Oh my God," she exclaimed, "I was in a trance again, wasn't I?"

Damon nodded, confirming.

"I think it's because I used power, or energy, whatever it is…" She said closing her eyes, the pain in her head was getting stronger.

Damon didn't give her chance to protest because he scooped her up in his arms, and in a mere second they were up in his bedroom and he gently laid her on the bed. "You'll feel better soon, Elena," he said, tugging her under the covers and he sat down next to her.

"Thank you."

He slowly brushed her hair back. "I'll be here, okay? If you need anything, I'm here on the armchair."

Elena slowly nodded, unable to believe that this man had the ability to turn from possessive to protective, from a monster to a sweet man. She stared at him as he got her more blankets, and then she reached out for his arm.

"Stay with me," she pleaded, patting the spot next to her.

Damon nodded his head and climbed in next to her. She scooted closer to him.

"Damon?"

"Yes, Elena?"

"Thank you."

"You're welcome, princess."

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><p><em><strong>I hope you liked this chapter! I think it's the longest chapter I've ever written in all fanfictions I've ever written. I enjoyed writing this very much, I hope you did too ;) If you did, please leave a review!<strong>_

_**Take care**_

_**Amy xoxo**_


	7. Spells

I'm appreciating the feedback-The response has been great, there are so many alerts everytime I upload a chapter!

Though it would be amazing if you all leave a review after an alert. Thanks for all those who did. :)

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><p>When Elena opened her eyes Damon was still next to her. She was curled up closer to his chest, and he had obviously been staring at her.<p>

She blushed slightly and he noticed, so he turned his gaze off her for a moment.

"How are you feeling?"

"A bit thirsty," She answered truthfully. "But I'm okay."

Immediately, Damon blurred downstairs and poured a glass of water for Elena, and he returned it. She gave him a small smile. "I'm still not used to your tricks, you know."

"I know it's a lot to deal with," He said as she drank the water, her little eyes still locked with his.

"It is…but it's not at the same time," Elena shook her head. "I'm not exactly human, either."

Damon sighed, and then he seemed to think of something. "I might know someone who can help you…You said that you wanted to remember what happened in the night that your mother left you to Jenna, right?"

"Yes. The dreams I've been having focus mainly on that night. I believe that if I remember what happened then I can know myself…"

"I think I know someone who can help. But I need you to trust me."

"Who are you talking about?" Elena said, curiously and fearfully at the same time.

"Witches," Damon said easily. "Real witches. I know a witch called Bonnie Bennett. We are good friends."

"I've known about witches since like forever," Elena said, "But I've never got to meet one. The ones I met more like occultists and psychics to me."

"Bonnie practices magic," Damon explained, "She was naturally born as a witch. She had been my ally on many cases."

"Is she a vampire too?"

"No, a witch cannot become a vampire," Damon shook his head. "It's either vampire or witch. Never both."

"Why?"

"Vampires are destruction of nature…witches are servants of it."

"I understand…Do you trust her?"

"I don't say the word trust," Damon objected, "But as I told you, we were allies more than once."

"Okay then, I think I could use some help…"

Damon immediately sent a text to Bonnie, and the latter replied less than five minutes later.

"She'll be here in an hour," He announced as Elena waited patiently, still curled up against his chest. After a few hesitation, he decided to wrap his arms around her, enjoying having a warm body next to him.

She seemed surprised by this gesture but she let herself feel comforted by his safe arms. She didn't know what was it about this man that made her feel both safe and scared. Sometimes it was almost magical, like these moments were written for them.

The same thoughts were going through Damon's mind. He was growing attached to the girl in his arms, more than he had ever planned. He swore to kill anyone who intended to harm her. She was _his _girl, and no one could hurt her. He wouldn't allow it.

He never thought that he could like a human again. For the past hundred and forty five years, the only tie he had to humanity was their blood and sex. Nothing more and nothing less.

"Tell me about you," Elena said suddenly as she looked up to lock her eyes with his. "I want to know about you. And about you being a vampire…"

Damon cleared his throat, but he looked down at her. "Yeah, I guess I can," He mumbled. "Well, I was born in 1842, here in Mystic Falls. Where we are now was a large estate, even larger than this one. This room was one of the maid's quarters."

"You had maids?"

"Oh, very much," Damon grinned at her expression. "They cleaned, cooked, and helped the women get into the gowns…"

"What did your mother do, then?"

"My mother died when I was ten," Damon stated sadly. His mother was the one person he missed most even after 145 years. "There were no cures for most of the diseases."

"I'm so sorry," Elena replied honestly, "I didn't know."

"It's okay," Damon cleared his throat again. "She was a good person. She reminds me of you, in a twisted way. She was stubborn and determined like you are, but from the inside, she was just a woman that felt lost and troubled. My father left us alone with her many times during the month. Since we were rich, our father was always into something so my mom was usually left alone with me and my brother who is five years younger than I am."

"What happened to your brother?"

"My brother and I have a complicated relationship, Elena," Damon sighed. "It's a very long story."

He didn't want to tell her about Katherine yet. He felt hate for that woman. It had been about two months ago that he freed her, and she had told him that she wanted Stefan. Damon assumed that Stefan is doing only God-knows-what with her so he stopped calling Stefan, using Andie as a replacement. But on the other hand, he was thankful. Otherwise only God knows where Elena would be right at this very moment.

"I'll tell you someday," Damon said standing up, "But Bonnie will be here soon. Oh, and I think I'd better buy you some real clothing," He added, throwing a glance at the small, thin clothing Elena was wearing.

He offered her his arm and she took it as he helped her up. Brushing his hair slightly, they went downstairs waiting for Bonnie.

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><p>Bonnie arrived a few minutes later and Elena tensed up at first, eager to learn more about her. Damon sensed this and squeezed her arm comfortingly.<p>

"Damon," Bonnie said as Damon opened the door to greet her. "It's been a while since I saw you. How are you doing?"

He knew that she was talking about Katherine. "I'm better," He sighed.

"Good," She reached out to hug her friend. It was amazing that they remained friends. Damon had once saved her from a car accident and they remained good friends ever since.

"So, what can I do for you?"

"Bonnie, there is someone I'd like you to meet," He said, and Elena slowly walked out, looking shyly at Bonnie. Bonnie gasped, her face turning to Damon, begging for answers.

Damon gave her a look that meant "don't panic".

"Bonnie, this is Elena Gilbert," He introduced her. "Elena, this is my friend Bonnie."

Elena managed to squeak a small hello and Bonnie tried to smile, but she had too much questions going on.

"I need a minute with Bonnie, Elena," He told her, "I have to explain to her what she needs to do."

When they entered the kitchen, Bonnie let out the loud gasp she had been holding. "Is that…?"

"No, she's not Katherine, she's a doppelganger," Damon explained, "Shh. She doesn't know about it yet."

"Damon, what are you planning?" Bonnie's voice was heightening with worry. "I told you that I wouldn't tolerate any more killings in this town. She's just a girl, Damon, you can't…"

"Shh, pause for a bit," Damon grinned. "First of all, I am not using the girl or hurting her, Bonnie. Do you really think that low of me? That I would hurt a child?"

"She's not just a girl, Damon," Bonnie reminded him. "She happens to be the exact image of your ex-girlfriend."

"I know that," Damon groaned, biting his lip. "Just hear me out. Elena is definitely more than human."

Bonnie's eyes widened, and without giving her a chance to breathe, Damon started endlessly talking about everything that had been going on.

"A memory spell," Bonnie suddenly remembered. "I can help her."

"Is the spell safe to use?" Damon asked with concern.

"Yes. There are no fatal risks."

"Do you think you can perform it now?"

"If she wants to, yes."

Before they left, though, Bonnie turned to Damon. "Damon, Elena seems oddly familiar to me. Is she from around here?"

"Only when she was a little girl though," Damon replied. "But I thought about it too. It's like I've seen her before, Bon. And it's not just because she looks like Katherine. I believe I've seen _her _somewhere before."

"Could be," Bonnie sighed. "The world's a small place."

When they were ready Bonnie walked next to Elena, and Elena felt tensed.

"Hello, Elena. My name is Bonnie, I am seventeen years old," She introduced herself. "I think I can help you."

"How?"

"There is a memory spell I can use to help you remember what you need to remember that particular night. If you want to, we can do it now."

"Oh please, yes!" She begged.

"Very well then," Bonnie continued. "I'm going to need some of your blood."

Elena immediately took a knife and made a small cut in her finger. Both Bonnie or Damon failed to notice that she didn't even wince.

Mixing the ingredients she already had with Elena's blood, Bonnie grabbed Elena's hand and started to chant in Latin. Elena instinctively closed her eyes, but all she could see were dim colours fading.

"Focus on the parts you remember that night," Bonnie kept telling her.

And that was what Elena did.

* * *

><p>"God why isn't this working!" Elena exclaimed after hours of endless practicing. It was no use. The spell wasn't working.<p>

"It never happened before," Bonnie continued to say angrily. "I'm so sorry, Elena."

She was standing impatiently and then Bonnie's eyes came to Elena's neck. "What is that necklace you are wearing?"

"It was my mom's."

"Elena, that is the symbol of real witchcraft!" Bonnie exclaimed. "Magic. Those necklaces are very rare. Almost every witch wants to get her hands on them. There are four types of these necklaces. If a witch finds them all, she'll have power no one will never have."

"What are you saying then, that my mom was a witch?" Elena gasped, holding the necklace tighter.

"It doesn't necessary mean that it was hers," Bonnie said, shaking her head. "Maybe she was protecting it. Maybe she was protecting you. Tell me, Elena, did you ever find the necklace helpful?"

"Yes. Once I shoved it at a man's face. It burnt him in a mere second. It was an instinct to do it."

"It's magical if it is in the hands of someone with magical powers," Bonnie explained. "That necklace is dangerous, but if it got passed down to you you can't let it go. It would make the situation worse if you give up such an important necklace. Keep it on you at all times."

She stood up. "I will do my research. I'll try to help you do another spell. I can't understand why it didn't work, Elena. But there must be something I can do."

"Thank you," Elena said honestly.

Bonnie nodded. "I have to go, Damon. If I find something I'll call you."

* * *

><p>"That didn't help much," Damon said as he threw the phone back on the table. He had ordered a pizza for Elena and now they were both sitting around the table.<p>

"I can't understand. What if my mom really was a witch?"

"I don't know, Elena," He said honestly. "But if she is, then you must've obviously inherited some of her magic."

"The irony is that the only time I've ever seen that necklace was that night when she gave it to me after she dropped me to Jenna. It wasn't a necklace that she liked to wear and gave it to me. It was a necklace that I had never seen before."

"I think we should just hold on to it for now," Damon sighed softly. "It's the best idea I could think of. Just don't lose it."

Fifteen minutes later the pizza delivery guy came and Damon handed him the money, serving Elena the pizza.

"I'm not going to eat all that!" Elena stated as she saw the giant barbecued chicken pizza.

"Hmm, we can always share," Damon smiled. "I take food too. It reduces the appetite for blood."

They ate in silence until Damon spoke up.

"I know other witches around, Elena. We'll arrange this, okay?"

"I hope so…"

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><p><em>Please Review!<em>


	8. A meeting with Bree

A/N wow 70 reviews! The reviews are awesome, thank you you lovely loyal readers!

**Please make me happy and help me reach 100. Even though I've been writing fanfiction for so long I still feel amazing when I reach those lovely 100. **

**That being said, my computer is being repaired so I'm writing from either my dad's laptop or my brother's, so please bear with me if I take long to update.**

**Enjoy!**

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><p>It had a week since Bonnie's visit, and Damon didn't hear any more updates from her. During that week Damon made sure to keep Elena as safe as possible however he took good care of her, providing her with all the necessary human needs. That being said, he was neglecting his own needs as it had been so long since he killed for blood, or rob the blood bank for that matter.<p>

"Elena," Damon was saying in the morning, "I think I know of a powerful witch that can help us. Her name is Bree, she owes me,"Damon grinned and Elena rolled her eyes.

"Is there a witch on planet earth who doesn't owe you?" Elena grinned.

"Not much," Damon chuckled softly. "But Bree sure does. She owns a bar in Georgia, and she is very powerful."

"Georgia? That's like eight hours away," Elena sighed, "Not that I didn't travel that much by foot. But what I meant is that it's a bit of a short-notice. Are you sure it's okay by you?"

"I'm a vampire, princess, nothing is a problem,"Damon smirked back. "And I think you need a new wardrobe."

Elena blushed. Due with the week stress, she barely noticed that she didn't have many outfits to choose from except those few that Damon compelled Andie to bring.

"Just finish your coffee and we'll go."

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><p>After about thirty minutes Elena was in Damon's blue Camaro.<p>

"Wow. Didn't know you drive," She admitted shyly.

"I may be old, Elena, but I adapted to modern-day society."

"Yeah…of course you did."

Damon turned the radio on, picking the rock station. A heavy metal song was playing and Elena squeaked with excitement.

"What is this shit?" Damon said, disgusted.

"Hey, Black Veil Brides aren't shit," Elena protested, shooting a cold look at Damon who threw his hands up in mock surrender.

"I was always on the run, but I also adapted to modern day society," Elena then sighed. "What hurt was that I had to be careful. I sometimes made friends, but I was always afraid that they'll get killed because of me."

Damon turned the music down a bit. "I'm so sorry for everything you had to go through, Elena."

"Thank you…for everything." The brunette squeezed his hand, and although he was surprised by that gesture, he stroked her fingers lightly, before bringing her hand to his lips and kissing it.

Damon held her gaze for a while and Elena felt the heat rising up her cheeks. _Damn him, _she thought, why did he have to make her feel this way?

He then pulled over to Walmart, and he put a card in her hand. "Here. Pick anything you want."

Elena eyed the card like she was mesmerized by it. God knew how many times she prayed that she had a dollar for food. Now, Damon was giving her his card to buy anything she liked.

She walked to the mall and after locking the doors, Damon followed her. She entered a shop that seemed to have a great variety of clothing suitable and she immediately went to the section of jeans and simple tank tops.

"Damon, are you sure about me getting these?" Elena said worried after she glanced at the price tags.

"You worry too much," He shrugged, "Go on. Buy anything you like."

He left her side to make her comfortable and Elena grabbed a dark red colour tank top which she had spotted from outside the shop.

She tried them all on until she noticed a dark purple dress that she didn't recall bringing in to the dressing room. It was one of the most beautiful outfits that she had ever seen. She hesitated slightly before putting it on, but when she did she found out that that dress looked like it was made for her.

"Elena?" A voice asked. "May I come in?"

She called out a shy yes and Damon slowly entered the dressing room, looking at their reflection in the mirror. "I knew it was made for you," He whispered, stroking her hair softly. "You look beautiful."

Elena turned to face him, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment. Her back pressed to the mirror and he was standing close now, so close that there was barely space for any of them to move.

"Thank you…" She said, doing her best not to take her gaze off his piercing blue eyes, but failed greatly. His lips were slowly inviting her in, and at that moment all she wanted to do was kiss him. He was staring at her lips too, and for a second he was leaning in. But before his lips could brush against hers, he withdrew.

"I…I'll wait for you outside," he choked out, leaving a frozen Elena behind.

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><p>Damon sat down on the couch there was in the shop, frustrated. God, how much he wanted to kiss her. But he couldn't. He knew he couldn't. He didn't want to scare her or make her think that he wanted to take advantage of her. He didn't want to lose her.<p>

Yet again, she seemed like she wanted him to kiss her. Damon closed his eyes in frustration. No, he finally decided. She was fourteen years old. He couldn't.

He was interrupted by a light touch on his shoulder, and when he looked up, he saw Elena, looking beautiful as always, smiling at him shyly.

He forced a smile back. "Ready to go?"

"Yes, I am."

He paid for her clothes and other necessities and in a few minutes they were in the car.

"Oh, I got this for you," Damon said, giving Elena a small brown box. She opened it and found a brand new phone.

"That way you can contact me whenever you want," He explained, "It's ready to use."."

"Oh my God," Elena cried out, "You're doing so much for me. How can I ever repay you?"

He smiled back at her but simply said, "I'm glad you like it."

She removed her seatbelt and once again she planted a small kiss on his cheek.

Late in the afternoon Damon bought Elena a beef burger and fries and went to the nearest blood bank to stock his blood bags in the trunk. He knew he had to take care of himself better.

* * *

><p>When they finally arrived at Bree's bar, Elena suddenly remembered that they had forgotten something very important.<p>

"Damon, will she let me in her bar?"

"Of course she will," Damon stated like it was the most obvious thing on planet Earth.

She followed him into the bar. It was a normal-looking bar, a medium sized one with lots of alcoholic beverages to choose from.

"Damon," The African-American girl greeted with a smile, but he knew that she hated to see him.

"I'm here to collect, remember?" Damon teased, sitting sloppily on the stool and tapping the one next to him so that Elena could join.

"God. How old is she?"

"I'm…"

"She is fourteen, and she is with me, Bree," Damon said, interrupting Elena.

"Oh. Hello there," Bree said lightly. "Damon, the usual?"

She didn't wait for an answer, though, because she had already poured him a glass of pure scotch.

"Water for the girl?" Damon teased.

"Oh please, I bet I can drink more than you do," Elena pouted. "How about a beer, at least?"

Bree brought Elena a beer, and Damon commented, "Ah. Teens today and their underage drinking. Tragic."

"I explained to you on the phone the situation I'm having," Damon said a few minutes later. "We need your help."

The bar was closed now, and Bree said, "Well, I think I can help." She eyed Elena's neck. "That necklace is what was blocking the Bennett witch's magic."

"Wait, I thought that it makes you gain power, not block it…"

"Yes. It makes you gain power, especially if you have all four. But it is also a mean of protection. The vampires had stolen those necklaces from us many years ago. Where did you get the one that you are wearing, my child?"

"We don't have to get through with that now, Bree," Damon warned. "We just want you to perform the memory spell to help Elena remember what happened that night."

Bree sighed. "Fine then. Take off your necklace."

Elena complied, giving the necklace to Damon who caught it but winced. Turned out the necklace was so protective of Elena that it was burning everyone touching it. He wrapped it up with a glove.

Bree started her chanting and Elena closed her eyes, eager for her memories to come back to her. After a few minutes of Latin, Bree stopped with her spell.

"It's not working. I'm not feeling any response. You have to focus."

More chanting.

"I can't," Bree breathed. "I'm blocked. I can't do anything more for you, I'm sorry…"

Damon noticed that Bree had turned pale, as if she had seen something traumatizing.

"I'm sorry," She ." repeated again.

"It's okay," Elena encouraged, "Thank you so much for trying."

"You're welcome, dear."

They were all throwing glances at each other. The tension between them was huge.

It was Elena that broke the silence with a very forced laugh. "Shots, anyone?"

* * *

><p>It hurt him that he couldn't help her. It hurt him that she had to live a mystery for her entire life. But the situation was out of his hands, he couldn't do anything more about it. Now he was carrying a half-drunk Elena out of Bree's bar and into a five star hotel nearby. He carried her to the room, taking off her shoes and placing her under the warm covers.<p>

She was asleep now, sometimes muttering something in her semi sleep state.

He climbed in into the other bed that was close to hers, and as he laid down on the bed he saw a purple bruise in her arm. He immediately blurred next to her and fury built up inside of him as he exposed her upper shoulder and a part of her back. His breath caught in his throat as he saw small dots of blood and cut-marks in her back.

He didn't know what to do. She clearly wasn't in pain as she was peacefully asleep, but he couldn't stop thinking about those marks. She was safe with him, there were no monsters hitting her or abusing her. Then how did she get those marks?

He knew he had to ask her.

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><p>The next morning Damon brought Elena a cup of coffee and a strawberry muffin for breakfast. She took a bite of it but before anyone could react she ran into the bathroom, vomiting harshly even though she didn't even have anything to eat.<p>

"Oh God, Elena are you okay?"

"H-hurts," Elena cried, "Help me! Please help me…" She then exposed her bloody wrists, her face paling when she saw that much blood.

Then darkness overwhelmed her, and Damon caught her before her head banged against the floor.

"Elena! Wake up, Elena! Elena!" Damon was screaming loudly now, shaking the girl in his arms.

He picked up her hand, but his body froze when he found that she had no pulse.

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><p>It had been a while since Bree shed a tear, but she couldn't erase the images of her mind of the night before. As a witch, she felt how much Damon cared for the girl. The truth would've killed him, not to mention that she had to pay a price herself if she spilled anything. But the truth…The truth was too much. Too much pain…<p>

No, she was not going to be the one who tells him.

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><p><strong>AN Thank you for reading, don't forget to review!**


	9. A past that haunts you

A/N I got my computer back but don't have Microsoft word yet-I ended up writing this in an email inbox to check spelling and to update sooner, so please, I encourage you to review!

That being said, thank you so much for your kind comments. To be honest, I was afraid that the story won't turn out to be the way I imagined it to be, so thanks! Now **please help me reach 100, and it is my dream to receive more than 12 reviews for one chapter cause it never happened, usually I get 8-12 reviews, which is good for me, but you know ;)**

**IMPORTANT: This chapter contains a bit of suicidal reference. Please, if you think this story is better being rated M, do not hesitate to tell me. I think it's good as a T, if there were a T+ it was better, but I don't think it's dark enough to be M.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries. (News flash, that's why it's called FANfiction)**

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>"Elena, wake up! Open your eyes!" Damon shouted in horror at the girl who had been out cold for more than twenty minutes now. He was squeezing her hand, desperate to find her pulse, but there was none. But he didn't give up, he continued to shake her and calling her name urgently as he fed her his blood. He was still traumatized by the idea that she had no pulse, but he could feel the life in her, her heart couldn't stop beating like that, couldn't it?<p><p>

What hurt him was the idea of feeling helpless. He couldn't turn to anyone for help, and now he was praying-yes, praying, after over a hundred years-that his blood would save her. Because God forbid if she didn't wake up...

Shaking the thought out of his mind, Damon continued to shake her, until he realized that her neck was bare, her necklace was still in his pockets. Somehow she always said that that necklace protected her, and without paying attention about how ridiculous it may sound, he got the necklace out of his pockets and swiftly fastened it around Elena's neck. Yes, if that little thing was the key to getting Elena to open her beautiful chocolate brown orbs, he was ready to put faith in a piece of metal.

When he touched her, her skin was colder than ice. He clenched his teeth together in fury. Why was this happening to her? Didn't the girl go through enough pain already? The marks in her body terrified him. There were slash marks, bruises, dried blood...

Then Elena seemed to shift just a little bit, and Damon almost thought his heart was beating again.

"Elena?" His voice came out in a broken whisper.

"D-Damon?" She replied, her teeth clutching with the cold and obviously, fear.

"Oh my God," Damon instantly grabbed her, holding her against his chest gently as if he feared that she'd break, as if he feared that he will be the one to cause her more pain. He would never hurt the girl that was now sobbing in his arms, her tears staining his t-shirt which he usually worshipped more than anything else. No, he didn't care. He only cared about comforting and holding the little girl.

"What happened?" He asked in horror as she calmed down, "Who hurt you, Elena? Why didn't you tell me about them? I healed you myself the first time you came in my house..."

"I know," Elena said, wiping her nose. "I'm sorry..."

"No, I'm not asking you to apologize," Damon said as he stroked her soft hair, "I just want you to tell me everything. Everything you want to tell me. You scared me, Elena...you were bleeding to death. I thought I was going to lose you. Then you had no pulse..."

"I was dead?" Elena covered her mouth with her hand in horror.

"Don't say that," Damon's voice came out more like a bark. "You're safe."

There was silence between them, and Elena rested her head against Damon's chest. "I didn't tell you everything about me."

"I figured," Damon continued to stroke her hair in a soothing manner. "I didn't expect you to, either. I know you've gone through a lot...I know that you know that you can't trust everyone. But let me tell you, Elena, you can talk to me. You can count on me on anything, okay?"

She sighed, snuggling closer. "Thank you. And I am."

She took a deep breath. "I told you that I was captivated over and over. They kept telling me how much they want me dead, and that they want me delivered to _him-_Klaus-in order to get my blood spilled because I'm a stupid psychic-doppelganger. They think that my blood will help people take control against all supernatural creatures. Of course, I didn't really believe in vampires specifically."

Damon shook his head, encouraging her.

"I told you how they treated me," Elena's eyes started to glitter with tears, "They hit me, they blacked me out, sometimes I woke up with strange bites in my neck and shoulders, and I didn't know that they were sucking my blood. Every house I was into meant new pain. Once, I was kidnapped by a man that was someone very close to Klaus. I knew that my time had come to an end, because since they were very close I knew that Klaus wouldn't have been that far of coming to get me."

She cleared her throat, wiping tears. "I didn't want to die knowing I gave them the pleasure of hurting me, of torturing me to death or playing with me. Most of all, I was scared. It was a dark, quiet night, and I was made to sleep in the basement. I knew I had seen a dagger before there..."

Damon's eyes widened now, embracing himself for whatever it was Elena was going to say. He hoped that she didn't say that she daggered the vampire, because he would definitely not want to hear the story after. He half consciously tightened his grip on her.

"I had to do it," Elena said, almost choking on a sob. "I grabbed the dagger, and pressed it in my stomach."

* * *

><p>"Bree."<p>

The African-American girl turned around with a tablecloth in hand, but stood frozen as she saw who the person that entered in her bar was.

"Why so glum, love? Aren't you happy to see me?"

"I-Of course I am. Have a seat...I'll get you a scotch."

The British man sat carelessly on the stool, and the girl brought him the glass. She seemed very uncomfortable, in fact she kept sipping her drink without glancing at him.

"What, don't want me to entertain you today, love?" He smirked suggestively. "You know how great we are together."

"I think that's enough for today, Klaus. I'm closing soon," She turned to walk away, but he was there in a flash, gripping her shoulders. He reached out to put a stray piece of hair behind her ear, and she shivered.

"Why, you aren't usually afraid, Bree," He continued in his same, seductive tone. "But I don't blame you. You have every reason to be afraid today."

"What do you mean?"

"Don't act dumb with me, Bree. I knew the girl was here."

"What girl, Klaus?"

"Elena Gilbert," He growled, "She came to ask for your help. Who is that little whore staying with this time?"

"I don't know..."

"Oh, I think you do," Klaus smirked, then he started to run his fingers up her shirt, stopping in the area between her collarbone and cleavage. "It takes me only a second to rip your heart out," He reminded her, drawing circles on the area.

"Damon," she choked out, "Damon Salvatore."

Klaus immediately withdrew. "_What? _It isn't even possible...I had compelled Damon to..." But he stopped himself immediately, realizing what he just said. "My dear Bree, you may think that I'm stupid for letting people bring the girl to me. But I am not. I know exactly where Elena is, but I'd be stupid if I expose myself to her..." He chuckled, "And after all, it doesn't hurt to watch her tortured about these secrets. You know how much I love those." He smirked to Bree again, then without a warning he pushed her against the door.

"Now, all I want from you is to never help Elena with the truth. Or tell her what you saw, for that matter."

"I won't!"

"Good. You know, I can compel you not to, but what's the fun in it? If you tell Elena or Damon or anyone anything about what you saw I will personally come here and end you."

"I won't, I give you my word."

Klaus grinned and caressed her cheek. "That's my girl."

* * *

><p>"You tried to kill yourself?" Damon exclaimed in horror, "Oh my God, Elena...How could you even try to do it? My God you barely started life..."<p>

"Damon, I didn't try to do it," Elena said calmly. "I did it."

"Elena..."

"I remember I felt pain and coldness, and then I saw a white light. I thought I was dead, and I knew I was going to hell for committing suicide," Elena admitted, looking at her hands folded in her lap. "The pain stopped, and I didn't know where I was. Then suddenly I felt a huge ache in my stomach, and found myself on the floor again. The mark was gone."

"I soon started to realize that I just...couldn't die. I felt pain, but death never came. I tried to take my life by stabbing myself, taking pills with alcohol...But I just couldn't die. Then even the pain...Sometimes I feel pain, sometimes I don't."

Elena sighed. "But then ever since I've been with you, I've been feeling the pains I should've felt those days when I tried to kill myself. The vampire I was staying with seemed to realized that there was something wrong with my mortality. Once, he grabbed a knife and made this deep, long cut here," Elena exposed her sides, and there was a huge, purple mark.

"I'm afraid, now, Damon...I'm starting to feel all the pain that I should've felt but didn't. I can die..."

"And this started when you came living with me?" Damon asked, his heart breaking at the thought.

"Yes. A few days ago, I saw the first slash in my stomach I had made myself."

Damon didn't know what to say or do. His head was spinning. First of all, he couldn't believe that the girl in his arms went through so much that she committed suicide-more than once-to end the pain. He feared his heart was going to break. It wasn't right. Then he couldn't understand the reason of her immortality-It was impossible for a human to survive those kind of deaths. He shivered involuntarily at the thought of Elena swallowing the pills with alcohol, and once again, he felt the urge to wrap her up in his arms. He wanted to tell the people who were hurting her that Elena belonged to him now. That no one was allowed to harm her. He wanted to walk hand-in-hand with her and give death glares to men that try to rob her out of her innocence.

However, when he finally opened his mouth, all that came out was the simple question of how she was feeling. Then, he had applied ice on her wounds and healed them for her, while she assured him that she's okay, and the pain stopped.

She was sitting on the bathroom countertop now, and Damon was working on the wounds in her neck, disgusted now that he knew that they were all bitemarks. She was gazing at him intensely as the moonlight reflected in his eyes.

"Your eyes are so beautiful," Elena commented as he continued to take care of her.

He smiled at her. "You're not still drunk, are you?"

"No, I'm not," She chuckled, "It's the truth."

"Thank you," He said softly, "But you are the girl with the doe eyes."

She blushed and he gave her a small pat on her arm, stating that they were done. He picked her up and she locked her hands with his neck as he carried her back to bed. However, when he gently laid her, Elena tugged at his shirt, pulling him closer.

And then neither of them knew what happened.

Elena reached out for him and in a brief second, her lips were on his, kissing him softly. He seemed surprised, but then he scooped her in his arms again and returned the kiss, holding her now warm body against his as much as possible. Her lips were incredibly soft against his.

These feelings were going to kill him. He knew he had to stop, even though she wanted it. Actually, _she_ started to kiss him.

"Elena...we can't," Damon said even though his heart was breaking inside. "I can't...Not like this..."

"Damon, I _want _to...I want you to kiss me," Elena pleaded, capturing his lips again.

This time, Damon didn't stop. He kissed her again, and they both knew that they were doing nothing wrong.

* * *

><p><em>Hope that you enjoyed this! Pls review ;D xx<em>


	10. A truth that hurts

A/N As I expected, there were different responses for the kiss-I am glad that you left a review because I wasn't sure if I were going to get bad criticism for this. Fortunately, I didn't, all of you were very supporting and encouraging. Don't read this if you don't want to be spoiled…

**SPOILERS: The kiss doesn't exactly mean that they're going to have a relationship. In fact, to those that I replied to your review, I told you that the kiss was put there for a) A treat to Delena fans, and b, the most important one, is that now Damon will be forced to decide about his feelings about Elena. As I said, Damon was kinda forced to become a good person in a short time. He was a monster, and because of her he had to change. So, we will see Damon struggle with his feelings and emotions. Second of all, I don't think it is appropriate for Elena and Damon to have a relationship yet. Don't get me wrong, I'm 14 and I would definitely kiss Damon, but it's not really my plan for this story yet. I already have the main plot prepared for you.**

**Now…please help me reach 100 ;)**

* * *

><p>Her lips were soft against his. She kept pulling him towards her, showing him that she didn't want to let go. He kept caressing her face but he gently pulled away from her.<p>

"What's wrong?" She asked, surprised by the sudden stop. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No, no," He said softly. "It's not you. It's me."

He held her hands gently. "We can't, Elena."

"Nonsense," Elena brushed her mouth against his again, and he let her, for just a small minute.

But what puzzled him was not how she managed to find her way into his heart, mind and soul in that very moment. What puzzled him greatly was that suddenly, he could feel himself moving to an alternate universe. Literally.

He found himself walking in a small forest. It was like he couldn't control his own body or actions, he was feeling hypnotized. He felt himself stop at a sight of a little girl, who was about nine years old.

"Excuse me, Mister," The girl said in a child-like voice. "Are you lost?"

"Yes," Damon heard himself say. "I guess I am. What is this place?"

"The Black forest in Arizona," The little girl replied. "Here. I'm picking up flowers! Want one?"

But before Damon could say anything, the girl gave him a red rose and smiled at him. He looked at the rose and then looked up to thank the girl, but she had vanished. Before he could process what happened, he found himself in front to Elena again.

"What happened?" Elena breathed, "Did you see that?"

"What's going on?" Damon asked confused, pulling away from her once more.

"I don't know," Elena said confused, "I saw that little girl giving you a rose…It was like a flashback…"

"I don't know," Damon muttered, then his face turned serious. "Get back to bed, Elena. We'll talk later."

"You regret it, don't you?" Elena asked quietly as Damon walked away to their terrace. The room had a lovely front terrace. "You regret kissing me."

"I don't," Damon answered half-consciously. "Just get back to bed, I'll be gone for a few."

"Where are you going?"

"I just need some air."

He walked to the front terrace with a glass of red wine in hand. Elena had, for once, obeyed him and she climbed into bed, covering herself with warm blankets. Damon sipped slowly on the wine and then turned to find her already peacefully asleep. Her face looked more beautiful than ever, and her hair fell perfectly around her face. She was like a goddess of beauty.

But in the same time, she was everything that could drive a vampire crazy. She was tempting, beautiful, fragile, and innocent. Yes, vampires usually liked preying on the innocent. But she was something he couldn't have, because it was the process of becoming a good man. On the other hand, he was letting himself grow attached to a human. A human, the thing he hated most. And worse than that, a human young teenager who barely knew what life was.

He walked slowly towards her and stroked his little princess's face. Damn, she was a fast-sleeper. The fact that she looked even more innocent in her sleep made him feel worse about kissing her. He wasn't in the mood to deal with guilt, so without warning he just walked through the door eager to find a woman to feed on. And maybe, let himself be a vampire for just thirty minutes.

The vision of the little girl confused him. Deep down, he felt that something with that vision was _wrong. _It was like deep down, he knew that there was something more to that. What he couldn't understand was _what. _

He continued to sip his wine. No, there was definitely something more. He could almost remember the touch, the brush of the rose against his hands. And that rose-He was sure he had seen it somewhere before. It was redder than a usual rose, and it had pink in it, too. It was unique, but it was like he had seen it somewhere before in his life. He sighed, setting the glass down, and made his way out.

It wasn't hard to find a girl in a hotel which was this big. No compulsion was even necessary, it was obvious that every girl lusted for him.

* * *

><p>About one hour later, Damon felt more strength in him. The blonde girl, who was now terrified, was covering herself up with the sheet as Damon took the last ounce of blood from her neck. He had compelled her to stop struggling, so the poor girl was still paralyzed.<p>

Damon smirked as he placed a piece of her hair behind her ear. "Thank you, Emily. Now, you will not remember anything of this night."

* * *

><p>The second that Damon returned to his room, Elena was waiting for him on her bed, looking almost afraid of him.<p>

"What's going on?" He said as she stared at him, trembling.

"T-that is how you f-feed on girls?"

He froze. He didn't dare to step closer towards the poor, terrified girl.

"I saw you," Elena continued, tears in her eyes. "I saw you feeding on her now. You left the door open enough for me to see."

"Elena…"

"What did you do to her before then? Oh, that's right…it's what you all do. You screwed her, didn't you?"

"Why are you saying this to me, Elena?"

"Because I thought you were a better person, because I…"

She started to cry, hugging her knees tightly to her chest.

Deep down, he knew that Elena had every right to be terrified. He knew that it was because of his own species that the girl had gone through a lot, and that she was almost raped twice by vampires.

He didn't dare to sit on her bed next to her. He could feel shame and anger. He should've been more careful on whom to feed on. He should've known that Elena would probably follow him.

"Elena, I'm sorry that you had to see that," He gulped. "But I didn't kill her. I'm not that person anymore."

She didn't say anything.

"Say something to me, Elena. Please."

She bit her lip.

"Elena…"

"I'm going to the bathroom," She stormed out of bed, aiming to get far away from him as possible.

He grabbed her arm.

"Let go of me," Elena said through clenched teeth. "I can't…not right now."

He remained holding her arm, and Elena quickly realized that his grip on her was not hurtful or aggressive, and his eyes didn't show any anger. No, his grip on her was gentle, and his eyes were pleading.

"Please don't be afraid of me," Damon's voice pleaded.

Elena relaxed in his hold.

"I would never hurt you," He continued, "Never. And I don't break my promises."

He noticed a tear running down her cheek and he gently wiped it away with his finger.

"Don't cry," He pleaded again. "I'm sorry. I lost control, Elena. But you're safe."

Elena was still frozen, having no idea of what she could say to him. When she built up the courage to speak, all she said was, "I know that."

And then she made her way to the bathroom, leaving Damon alone with his guilt.

* * *

><p>Klaus started circling the girl who was sitting terrified on the chair, much in the manner of a predator stalking its prey.<p>

"I'm going to ask you one last time, Jenna," He growled. "Does the girl know what happened that night?"

Jenna didn't reply. She had promised her sister that she would take care of Elena at all costs.

"Answer me!" Klaus barked, gripping Jenna's shoulders.

She didn't reply.

"Take her away," He commanded one of his allies, and Jenna let herself be taken without trying to fight him off.

"Jenna," He said again, this time with a smirk, "It doesn't matter to me if she remembers or not. She'll still be dead whenever I want her to. Besides, I can always compel you into telling me the truth once the vervain is out of your system."

* * *

><p>It was eight in the morning when Damon woke up. Elena was not in bed, and apparently, there was no shower water running either. He put on a black t-shirt and called out her name.<p>

"I was just getting breakfast," Elena said quietly, and Damon followed her into the small kitchenette.

"Okay," Damon simply replied. He was feeling awkward talking to her after what happened the night before. Actually, after the two things that happened the night before. Kissing her, and then running off to feed on someone.

_Perfect combination, Salvatore, _he mentally cursed.

"We should head back to Mystic Falls," He finally sighed. "Bree wasn't much help."

"Okay," Elena said shortly.

"I'll let you have a shower and change."

"Where are you going?" She asked, and he knew the look on her face. Her little, brown doe eyes were judging him.

"I'm just getting a cup of coffee."

He left without a word, and Elena remained frozen with her towels in her hand. She didn't like this situation either. She cared about him, she knew he was doing his best to help her. She also knew that Damon would never hurt her, but after the night before she couldn't help it, she was scared.

She had seen his true face clearly. She couldn't imagine that someone that beautiful could turn into another person in such a short time, because of blood.

Yet again, her life was always complicated.

* * *

><p>They drove back to Damon's home in silence. Damon turned on the radio, and then they stopped to buy Elena food. Sometimes he'd make a comment to ease the tension between them, but nothing more.<p>

"Are you still mad at me?" Damon finally asked the question.

She just looked at him with those puppy eyes-the death of him-And said, "I'm not mad at you, Damon. I'm just…still shocked."

Damon pulled the car over and turned to her. "Look, Elena. You still don't know about me. I don't blame you. But I'm ready to tell you everything you want to know. _Everything. _I have lots of things to tell you, and I don't think you'll take them lightly."

He brushed her hair away from her face. "But then, after I tell you everything you need to know, it'll be your decision. I won't force you to do anything, and I won't even force you to stay. But I don't want to lie to you."

Elena took a deep breath. "Okay. I appreciate that you're going to be honest with me."

Damon sighed. It was going to be hard. Hell, he didn't even know how to start about Katherine.

So, very slowly, he got her picture and handed it to Elena.

* * *

><p><strong>That's it for today ;) Happy Sunday xD<strong>


	11. Symbols and trances

Reached those lovely hundred! Thank you so much, readers ;)

I'm really enjoying writing this-It's such a challenge for me because it is a hard story to write since not every reader want the same in DE's relationship and due to the mystery element since I don't want to spoil anything until time's right.

**Important: Lots of people are asking, Damon is physically 22.**

**Please check out my new FACEBOOK PAGE: www. facebook. com/ LiveBreatheVampiresFanfiction (Remove spaces)**

**I would LOVE if you please like it and have a chat with me there ;D Sorry...I don't accept friend requests since my Facebook is strongly private, but I can chat with you there and give spoilers ;P (:**

* * *

><p>Elena took the picture from Damon's hand and bit back a gasp as she saw the woman in the picture. She looked exactly like her, in maybe three years? Even less. What worried her greatly, though, was the bold 1864 date written in the corner of the picture.<p>

Her first instinct was to stay there, frozen, for the next eternity. Her second one was to slap Damon in the face, and the third was to cry and pray to God that she'll die so that she'll meet her parents again, and her brother, or maybe find a way to get back to Aunt Jenna without monsters chasing her or threatening to kill Jenna if she did so.

However, she did none of these things, though Damon noticed how white her knuckles were since she was holding on too tightly.

"W-who is she?" She managed to choke out. "She looks like me."

Damon sighed. He didn't know how he could start, and he didn't even know how to handle Elena. Should he hold her hand, touch her face or stroke her hair to assure her that it was all in the past? He didn't want to lose her. Elena had become the most important person on planet Earth for him. He knew that Elena would probably think now that this was a façade, and that he only cared about Katherine, or maybe she'd think that he'll take advantage of her because of what she looks like. He bit his lip at that thought…The last thing he wanted was Elena doubting him or be afraid of him again.

He concluded that there was no way to sugar coat it. After a sharp intake of breath he choked out the words.

"She was my girlfriend, Elena."

This time, Elena didn't hold back her gasp. It filled the car with tension, and it took every ounce of rage control in the girl's body not to get out of there. Instead, she tried to look indifferent.

"Was?"

"Elena," He said slowly, "I have a lot to tell you. But I need to know that you want to hear it all, my past isn't simple."

This time, Elena nodded her head, genuinely wanting to hear him out.

"I was born on the 25th of September, 1842. My father came from a long lineage of Italian ancestors, and my mother had a French side, so I grew up speaking fluently English, Italian and French. My father was respected and we were very rich. My mother was very kind so people loved her. Actually, we were a very nice family."

Damon cleared his throat. "When I was five, my mom gave birth to my little brother Stefan. Things were going perfect. But then, when I turned 12, my mother caught a fatal disease. It killed her from inside out. She was weak, hallucinating, and she was in agony most of the time. She died one month after she was diagnosed."

"Oh my God," Elena said, "I'm so sorry. You were so young. I know what is like to lose your parents."

"I know. I'm sorry, too." Damon cleared his throat. "When my mum died, my father wasn't himself anymore. He blamed me for her death, because he believed that she caught the disease because of me since I was always running around in the forests barefoot. The roads and the environment weren't as clean as they are today. He quickly started to use violence as a solution to everything wrong I do. He tried to make me hate Stefan, since he loved Stefan more than me. But I didn't, because it wasn't Stefan's fault. On the contrary, Stefan always stuck up for me. I loved him and we spent so much time together. I had kinda become his dad."

"Time passed. Our relationship continued to develop, but mine and my dad's worsened. It became worse when I decided to leave for war. It was during this time that I met Katherine. She claimed to be an unfortunate victim of a tragic fire, and she had lost her parents. Our father took her in. Suddenly, my brother and I found ourselves fighting for her. It suddenly turned out that Katherine was indeed a vampire."

"She's the one that turned you, isn't she?" Elena suddenly screamed.

"Yes," Damon answered. "I loved her, Elena. But she was using us both. In every way possible. Then the townspeople, who were fighting against vampires, took her away because Stefan was caught with her and she was drinking from him. What he didn't know was that our father had spiked his drink with vervain, therefore poisoning Katherine as she did so. They locked her in a spelled tomb in town. I came to Mystic Falls to free her about three months ago, but Stefan beat me to it…Even though I was the one that discovered a spell to get her out. She chose him."

"I'm so sorry," Elena said genuinely. "You went through so much. How did you become a vampire though?"

"I willingly drank from Katherine. I wanted to be with her forever, despite her tie to both of us. My brother and I tried to free her from the townspeople. Our own father shot us both, and apparently we both had her blood in our systems. Stefan fed on our own father and completed his transition…he forced me to drink from a village girl."

"Your own father shot you?" Tears glittered in Elena's eyes at this information. She underestimated everything completely…she didn't think that Damon went through all this.

"I've been on my own for so many years, Elena," He turned to her. "When I found you in the woods, at first I didn't know what I should do. I didn't want to see a young girl get hurt. But when I got you out of the camp and looked at your face…You looked just like her. And I was so confused, Elena, because I didn't want to compare a young girl to Katherine. Because Katherine might have been physically 17, but she was the complete opposite of you, Elena. She was bitchy, manipulative and selfish. I soon realized that you were not Katherine."

He sighed. "I just want you to know, Elena, that everything that happened between us…It's all you. I didn't look at you and see Katherine, not even once. It's like comparing the devil to God. But now you know. I'm not going to force you to stay."

"But how do I look like her, Damon?"

"I honestly don't know," Damon said, "But it doesn't matter to me. You are Elena, and you are kind, warm and unselfish. You're not her."

Elena stood there, staring at Damon's face. Her hands immediately found their way to his.

"I appreciate you being honest with me, Damon," She said clearly. "And we're on the same page. You are the only one I can trust and rely on, I don't know why but I felt it from the beginning. I knew that I was safe, and I know that you changed already and did so much for me. That's why…I want to stay with you, Damon."

"Please, it's only the beginning," Damon tapped her lightly on the nose. "If you intend on living with me-permanently-I will treat you like a princess. Just know that you'll always be free to make your own decisions. I'll always be there to pick you up whenever you fall, and to stop you from hurting yourself, but in the end…You're free to do whatever you think is best."

"And I appreciate that," Elena continued, "Because you're giving me what I never had. Freedom."

* * *

><p>By the time they got to the boarding house it was late in the afternoon. Elena prepared a warm bath while Damon took care of arranging one of the guestrooms to Elena's liking and prepared some food for Elena. <em>Thank God I happen to like <em>cooking, he thought, because taking care of a human girl was definitely not in his lifetime plan before.

He was cooking pasta when suddenly he felt very odd and weird, almost as if he just felt death coming. Wiping his hands, he suddenly called out Elena's name.

Once.

Twice.

Third time.

He blurred to the bathroom and knocked hard, and still, she didn't reply. He knew it was definitely not a good idea to walk in on her, but that moment he didn't care. He sensed that Elena was in danger.

He kicked the door open, and his eyes widened when he saw that Elena was literally being pulled down in the tub, and she wasn't fighting back. She was laying paralyzed, drowning.

He let out a scream as he called Elena's name, running towards her, pulling her up. She was so strong, which was odd for a human. Then suddenly, Elena seemed to gain consciousness again, and started to cough out the water she had swallowed.

"Damon?" She said weakly between chokes.

Damon grabbed a towel and wrapped it in it, the towel dripping soap all over the floor as he pulled her up from the tub. He didn't care that she was soaking wet as he put her on his bed. The poor girl was freezing, and looking vulnerable in that little white towel she was holding onto tightly. She was obviously shy, and Damon hated making her feel uncomfortable even though he kept his eyes to her face all times and that the towel covered her up.

"I almost died," Elena was sobbing as Damon gently dried her hair.

"You're okay…You're okay…" He kept soothing her, "I can't figure out what's going on…Why…"

"I felt myself choking but I couldn't scream or fight back," Elena sobbed, "I'm so scared, Damon…I'm so scared!"

"Shh, shh, it's okay, it's okay," Damon wrapped his arms around her. "It's okay. I've got you. You're okay."

She wrapped her arms around him too, sobbing as he stroked her wet hair.

"Come on, go change, I'll be here…" Damon encouraged, and Elena obeyed, changing to new pajamas. When she came back, he ran a comb gently through her hair, keeping her calm as much as possible, and then placed a kiss on her forehead.

"Feeling better?"

"Yes," Elena said weakly, "But I'm feeling pain in my back…It's like a burn…"

"Let me take a look at it," Damon offered, exposing her upper back.

But this time, Damon couldn't keep calm. He knew the symbol on Elena's back, the symbol that looked like it was made with fire and blood.

It was the symbol of vampirism.

But before he had time to process, Elena gasped, "Damon…I think my time has come. He's coming to get me."

* * *

><p>Shorter chapter :S But I'm happy with it, you?<p>

Reviews are love!

Symbol of vampirism: (fifth one)

http: / / www. google .com .mt /imgres?q=Vampire+symbol&um=1&hl=en&qscrl=1&nord=1&rlz=1T4ADFA_enMT450MT450&biw=1024&bih=540&tbm=isch&tbnid=AhLRKLSQKBxOtM:&imgrefurl=.%3Ft%3D2217&docid=lmFJcQZKG2zDNM&imgurl=.com/albums/l150/OrthaeVelve/Sigils%252520and%252520Symbols%252520I%&w=641&h=538&ei=Ql5vT-4k0_ThBJ3F-b4C&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=732&vpy=33&dur=125&hovh=206&hovw=245&tx=135&ty=98&sig=110088917543609543352&page=4&tbnh=151&tbnw=180&start=41&ndsp=16&ved=1t:429,r:10,s:41

Remove spaces, if link doesnt work type Vampire Symbols on google images it's called blood bond symbol :P


	12. Photos and Memories

A/N This song has become my obsession lately. I couldn't resist adding it here.

**You are the night-time fear**  
><strong>You are the morning when it's clear<strong>  
><strong>When it's over your start, You're my head<strong>  
><strong>You're my heart<strong>

**Florence+ the Machine, No Light, No light**.

Thankful for all reviews ;)

* * *

><p>"Elena, no one is coming to get you," Damon moved next to Elena, grasping her shoulders tightly and shaking her. "There's no one here."<p>

"Death. Death is in the house," Elena replied again, her eyes blank. There was no emotion, no fear.

"Elena…" Damon was scared now, Elena was in a trance again, and what was worrying him was the symbol on her back. He knew what that symbol meant, it was an old symbol vampires used to mark a human. With that mark, they always knew where their human was, and even though that symbol could mean the unbreakable sigil of love between a mortal and immortal, it could also mean a chain for slavery, keeping the human chosen a slave. Through that sigil, humans could be compelled, connected, called upon. He knew that he had to remove that from Elena, otherwise he knew deep down that Elena was never free to make her own decisions.

She slumped unconscious in his arms, and Damon held her tightly, not knowing what he should do. He was running out of ideas. No witch seemed to be able to help him.

A few minutes later, Elena's brilliant brown eyes opened. He was still holding her, unable to carry her to the nearest bedroom or couch, because he was just too scared to let her go. "Death was in the house", she had said. What could that mean?

"What happened?" Elena asked, her hands shooting up to feel her head.

"You were in a trance," Damon said quietly.

"Again?" Elena panicked, looking directly at Damon. "What did I say? Or do?"

He bit his lip.

"Damon?"

"The symbol in your upper back…have you ever seen it before?"

Elena stared in horror. "You know about that?"

"You told me you had some kind of pain in your upper back before you went into the trance," Damon studied her face carefully.

Elena took a deep breath. "Damon, I must go."

"What?" Of all the things he expected her to say, that wasn't one of them.

"I can't stay here," Elena said, running to her bedroom, tears spilling down her cheeks.

"What's going on, Elena?" He blurred next to her, taking the bag she was putting things in from her hand.

"Every time that mark appears…I always get discovered," Elena said. "Once, a boy tried to help me. I spilled my secret to him, and I was staying in his house. That mark appeared, and when they came to take me away, they tortured him. They made me watch, and then they shot him and took me away."

He understood now why she was afraid. She was afraid of losing him, of being the reason that he died. But Damon wasn't a loser. He fought back.

"You don't have to worry about that with me."

"I can't bear the thought of having you killed," She protested, looking in his blue eyes. "You already took a risk taking me in."

"I already told you, Elena," Damon said firmly, "I'm not going to let you fend on your own. You did that for way too long. You don't deserve to live in the streets."

Elena stared at him, giving him a small, heartbroken smile.

He cupped her face. "We'll get through with this, okay? You told me last time that when you were in the streets you aimed to get back to your aunt, but you were afraid. I'll help you find her."

"Thank you," Elena said after a deep sigh.

"But we will discuss this in the morning," Damon continued unexpectedly. "You need to rest."

He turned away to open the door for her, but she remained standing in his bedroom before asking hesitantly, "Damon…can I please sleep with you tonight?"

"Of course you can," He smiled gently at her. "Come on."

He climbed onto the bed and Elena did the same, making herself comfortable on Damon's bed. She snuggled closer to him, and in return, Damon wrapped an arm around her waist holding her closer.

"I'll keep the bad dreams away," He assured her, placing a kiss on the top of her head. "I promise."

* * *

><p>The next morning, Damon woke up feeling a warm body next to his. Apparently, during the night Elena had snuggled even closer than before, her little body holding on tightly to his. Damon smiled at her instinct to be close to him.<p>

Trying his best not to wake Elena, he tried to scoot away but was interrupted by her voice.

"Are you awake?" Elena asked softly.

"Yeah," Damon turned around to face her. "Did I wake you? I'm sorry."

"No," Elena said. "I made you breakfast," She continued shyly, and then she brought the tray from the nightstand slowly before him. "I hope you like it."

"You didn't have to do that," Damon said in surprise, "But thank you."

She was actually a good cook, and as he dug in the bacon and eggs which he haven't tasted in a long while, he was curious about how she learnt to cook.

"My mum taught me how to cook when I was younger," She explained. "It was her plan to raise me as an independent woman."

"I see," Damon said lightly.

As he finished the food, Elena sipped on the coffee and then turned once again to him. "Damon, I don't know what I would've done without you. I feel like I should give you something, but I don't have anything…"

"You don't have to give me anything, Elena. And you don't have to feel obligated to me either."

"But I do have one thing to offer though…" Elena moved closer to him slowly and hesitantly, and before Damon could ask what the hell she was doing, she had exposed a side of her neck.

"Drink from me."

"What? What the hell are you doing?" Damon said, sitting up straighter. "God, no. I would never do that to you, Elena, you're not dinner."

"It's the least I can do," She mumbled thoughtfully.

"Do me a favor…If you want to do something to repay me, than don't do anything at all. Okay? I don't want anything from you."

"If you say so…"

There were a few minutes of silence until Damon said, "How about we go out today? Have some fun?"

"Sure," Elena smiled excitedly.

"Good," Damon smiled back. "Hmm, let's say we go for dinner…then we'll decide what to do."

"Fine with me," Elena said again, looking at the clock. It was already 1pm, they had overslept. No wonder he said 'dinner' and not 'lunch'.

Damon settled in with a hot shower and Elena went to the bathroom downstairs. She then took the curling iron Damon had bought her and started to define her already formed waves, smoothing and defining them by tugging at them lightly, the small curls falling perfectly around her face.

She then picked out a very pretty midnight blue dress and paired it with a pair of high heels which she didn't have much practice on, but Elena was a fast learner. Finishing off her makeup with a brown smokey eye, she waited for Damon.

He was wearing a simple outfit, a dress shirt paired with black jeans. When he saw Elena, he remained frozen in the staircase, and when he came into his senses, he breathed, "You look beautiful, Elena."

"Thank you," She blushed. "I love this dress."

A few minutes later, Damon grabbed Elena's hand. "Ready to go?"

"Ready."

* * *

><p>After a few hours of driving Damon pulled over near a very nice restaurant. Elena's mouth started to water when she sniffed the food, and as the server brought them their menus, she took in the surroundings. Damon ordered some nachos and made Elena promise that she'd try them and then she settled in for stuffed chicken.<p>

They were having fun and they even danced together. Some people stared, other found them heartwarming. But they didn't care, all that mattered was they were having fun.

* * *

><p>When they returned home, it was about nine pm, and Elena's feet felt like breaking. She took the heels off, throwing herself at the couch, and since Damon had drunk a little bit he was feeling a major headache. He put Elena's feet in his lap and slowly massaged them as he closed his eyes.<p>

However, the moment was short-lived when he felt a sudden whoosh of air. Apparently, Elena felt it too cause she sat up, looking at Damon. He motioned for her to stay on the couch.

"Hello, Damon," A voice said before he even stood up. Damon's head whipped around to see Stefan, standing next to the fireplace.

"Stefan," Damon said simply, though he was surprised. They weren't talking, but there was Stefan, standing casually in his home.

But before Damon could say anything else, Stefan let out a loud gasp.

"Is that…." He said, moving to Elena. The latter jerked back as Stefan moved towards her like an adult does to inspect a small toddler. It was almost as he was mesmerized by her existence. "Elena? You're okay?"

"How do you know her name?" Damon asked, suddenly his mind was spinning.

"_What?"_ Stefan gasped, "What are you saying, Damon? This is Elena Gilbert, aren't you?"

"Y-yes," the girl stammered. "How do you know my name?"

But Stefan didn't answer. Instead, he threw two glances at Damon and Elena and blurred away. Damon was ready to follow him, but he was too tired and he wasn't thinking straight anyway. He laid back on the couch.

"Do you know him?"

"I feel like I've seen him somewhere before," she bit her lip. "I don't know though."

* * *

><p>"I told you, Bonnie, he doesn't remember anything," Stefan was sitting in Bonnie's living room now, a glass of bourbon in hand. "He has no idea of anything that happened…especially <em>that night<em>."

A tear spilled down his cheek. "Bonnie, you were there. You know how heartbroken we were. You know we tried everything…I can't let Damon go through that again."

"Stefan, I cannot tell him the truth…I wasn't even sure until yesterday," Bonnie was crying now, too. "Here. These photos are evidence enough….But how are we going to make him listen?"

Stefan buried his face in his hands. "I don't know, Bonnie. But I can't let my brother go through that pain again. Not this time. God knows how many nights I had spent, the guilt still haunts me today…and now seeing her here…But I know it's wishful thinking, Bonnie…"

"I'm so sorry," Bonnie sobbed. "I can't believe it. I found out yesterday and was going to call you…it's like my memory just came back…but I can't…I don't know how we can give it to him."

"I know," Stefan said, wiping the tears. "But it's our job, Bonnie."

* * *

><p><strong>Btw, to help you, I'm naming chapters =D Please leave a review! Also, check out my other story His Vampire Heart if you like, and FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER Tvdmyheart for pictures of the Vampire Symbol and Elena's dress.<strong>


	13. A necklace

Special thanks to MagicAngel33 (You're one of my favourite writers, seriously) and Cdaye8184, a very loyal reviewer and great writer.

Thank you everyone for reviewing, sorry for delaying a bit.

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><p>"I know Damon, Stefan," Bonnie said, "You weren't always here. But I was, I watched him falling to pieces and I couldn't do anything to help him. The truth will devastate him, Stefan, are you ready to take his happiness away after he's gotten his life back? Elena is the major part of that life, you know."<p>

"What he's living is not a life," Stefan insisted, trying to convince himself. "It's a lie. An illusion. She's going to be taken away from him eventually. This isn't her place to be."

"I just wish I remembered everything sooner," Bonnie said, a worried glance on her face. "If I only knew-I would've done anything to keep Elena away from Damon. But it wasn't just until a few days ago that I learnt the whole truth. I couldn't do anything."

Stefan squeezed her arm. "I know, Bonnie. And you know it's not my fault that I wasn't always there for Damon."

"I know," Bonnie sighed, "It's sad…being blamed for something that never even happened."

"However I still think that for now that's the best thing," Stefan sighed. "I'll let him hate me, I'll let him believe that Katherine got free and chose me. That's what he was compelled to believe, that's how he was compelled to hate me. Because Klaus knows that the bond between me and my brother is special. We might've fought like dogs in 1864 but in the end…I'll always protect him."

"I know," Bonnie took a deep breath. "Stefan, I'm so sorry. I know this hurts you too."

"It does," Stefan muttered, "What hurts even more is that I had five years to deal with it. Five years to accept it, and when I finally started to get my strength and faith back…she just appears…"

"I know, I know," Bonnie reached out to hug Stefan. "Elena was my friend too, Stefan. She was one of us, and she was my best friend."

"I wish there was a way to fix this," Stefan said, hugging her tightly back. "Elena doesn't deserve this. I hate Klaus for what he did to her, Bonnie, but we can't fix this. It's really up to the witches and fate now."

"But I will do my best," Bonnie continued. "I have to."

* * *

><p>"What was that about?" Elena asked when they had been sitting on the couch for too long.<p>

"I honestly have no idea," Damon shrugged. "Strange, though."

"Tell me about it," Elena pouted. "I can't remember where I've seen him. He looks so familiar. Even you did, in a certain way…"

"Well, it works both ways then," Damon mumbled, "And I'm not just talking about your uncanny similarities to Katherine. It was like I've seen _you _somewhere before."

Elena suddenly remembered something, and in an instant, she was upstairs, bringing the diary she wrote everything in.

"I told you when we first met that I wrote my story in symbols," Elena explained, "That way no one would ever knew of my secrets and of my personal life. However, I was reading my diary again…" Elena turned the pages to an old page, written in symbols. "All I can read is the date, May 23rd, 2009. Other than that, I can't read anything written, which is weird since it is my handwriting….or symbolwriting, whatever."

"Elena, you were eleven years old," Damon said, "You were confused. I don't think spelling or ruined symbols were an issue."

"I don't know, Damon," Elena sighed, "But whenever I look at this page, I feel this cold feeling. The feeling of being lost and unknown."

Damon stared a little at her. "We'll figure it out, okay? I'll ask Bonnie, maybe she can read it for us."

"Do you think Bonnie is strong enough?"

"Yes, she is," Damon assured. "She'll help us."

* * *

><p>The next morning Damon kept his promise. After the usual coffee and cereal for Elena and his bloodbag, he started the car and drove to Bonnie's house. There was a fifteen minute car drive but other than that it was a quick travel.<p>

"Damon," Bonnie greeted, "Didn't know you were coming."

"Short notice indeed, Sabrina," Damon teased, knowing the nickname annoyed her. She pouted, but then gave him a small smile and reached out to hug him. It was then when she realized Elena was there.

"Hey, Elena," Bonnie said softly. "Didn't see you there. How are you doing?'

"Fine, thanks," Elena replied, "You?"

"Good," Bonnie smiled a little. "I assume you need help on something since you dropped in for a visit," She told Damon.

The latter pouted. "Bonnie…You're making me look like a monster. You know I love coming for a visit since I love you."

"Aha," Bonnie said teasingly. "More like whenever you need something. But anyways, friends forgive friends."

"Yes, they do," Damon smirked, but then he turned serious. "Elena found a page of her diary that she wrote in symbols. She can't read it, though, and right now every idea we might have is important, to deal with things."

"Sure," Bonnie said, "It won't be a problem."

Damon handed her the page and she inspected it carefully, but she narrowed her eyes. "Elena, do you remember writing this?"

"I don't," Elena admitted. "I can't even read those symbols."

Bonnie's brows furrowed. "They are written with the symbols witches use," She explained. "Only witches know these symbols." She reached out and showed Elena one symbol. "See this? It's the symbol of the pentagram, the same pendant in your necklace."

"What does that mean?"

"Pentagrams are usually drawn to represent spells, magic, connections...and even a curse or death," Bonnie paused at the last two.

"So you think this is a spell?" Damon asked hopefully.

"I can't say," Bonnie said slowly. "These things need time. I'll take a look at it and tell you, I think I need some research."

"Very well, then," Damon got up. "Thank you for your help, Bonnie."

* * *

><p>"My life is just too complicated," Elena sighed when they were in the car again. "No one seems to get it…Not even vampires and witches."<p>

Damon grinned. "That's because special women usually have complicated pasts."

Elena blushed at his direct remark but she didn't say anything.

They were passing the woods now and Elena smiled a little. "This is where you found me."

"Yes, it is," Damon said with a sigh.

"Why did you save me, Damon? I never asked you that."

"At first, I was surprised…your similarities to Katherine are uncanny, of course. But then, something in me wanted to protect you rather than harm you."

"And I'm grateful," Elena said, putting a hand on his arm. "I don't know what could've happened to me if you didn't find me."

"What happened that night, anyway? You never told me that."

"Well, I was looking for a new town to move in…or rather, to hide in. I had been walking for hours when one of those druggies grabbed me. I remember that he yanked me behind him and locked me in a car, then he brought me to a campsite. I heard them saying that they were going to be paid a lot for bringing me to Klaus."

"Because Klaus wants your blood."

"That is what I was told, yeah. I don't really know why and how though. I told you, they believe that my blood can end all species."

"Well, nothing's going to happen to you as long as I'm alive…or undead, whatever," Damon vowed. "You don't have to worry. No freaky Klaus is going to take you away. I wish I know who this bastard is."

But Elena wasn't paying attention. He realized that she was looking at a part of the woods almost terrified.

"Elena?"

"Damon, do you mind pulling over?"

"What? Why?"

"Please!"

Damon immediately pulled over, and Elena got out of the car, walking to the direction of the woods. She was walking so fast and Damon had to catch up using his vampire speed. "Elena, wait," He urged.

But Elena continued walking, or rather, running. When Damon touched her, she just kept walking. It was almost like a human compelled by a vampire to keep walking.

Then suddenly, she stopped. She got on her knees and started digging.

Damon grabbed her arm. "What the hell are you doing?"

It was then that he realized that Elena's eyes were blank. And not only blank, they were black. There was no white in her eyes.

"Elena! Your eyes!"

But Elena ignored him and roughly pushed his hands off her. She dug and dug, and then she seemed to calm down.

"Something's in here," Elena said robotically, but then, her body returned to normal. "What's going on? Why am I digging?"

"You tell me…"

"Date…" Elena mumbled, "The date. Tell me the date." But she didn't wait for a reply.

"Oh God," She gasped, and she saw a little red box in the hole she had just made. "What is this?"

Damon carefully opened the box. His eyes widened when he saw what was inside it, and then he turned to Elena.

"Elena, it's another necklace," He exclaimed, "Like the one you're wearing. Bonnie told us about them. She said there are four necklaces…"

"How did I know where it was?" Elena mumbled to herself. "Bonnie told me that they are rare. She said that these necklaces have to be protected."

Damon inspected the necklace. It was exactly like Elena's, however, when he turned it, there was a date written on the back of it.

23rd May, 2009.

"That's the same date written on my page," Elena mumbled.

"Yes. It is."

* * *

><p>"I told you, Stefan," Bonnie said, sighing desperately. "Damon asked me to tell him what is written. I've done my research…it is written in symbolism. The language of witches."<p>

"I thought that only witches can write it," Stefan exclaimed, looking at the paper.

"Yes. There are no exceptions. Only a witch can write that, and it is definitely not a spell."

"Well, what is it, then?" Stefan asked impatiently. "Bonnie, if it is something about Klaus and those damn necklaces, I won't let him win again. I'll destroy the necklaces myself if I have to."

"Yeah, and then the witches will kill you," Bonnie groaned, "They sent her here for a reason, Stefan."

"Well, what's in the fucking paper then?" Stefan growled, the situation was getting way beyond his control, and he hated feeling weak.

Bonnie took a deep breath. "Stefan, it's an event," She said, "The writing tells an event, a story."

Stefan quieted. He already knew what he was going to hear next.

"Stefan, that paper tells the story of how Elena died."


	14. Memory Lane

"You can't tell Damon, Bonnie," Stefan disagreed, nodding his head. "Not this way."

"What am I supposed to tell him, then?" Bonnie exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air. "Lie to him?"

"Tell him you need time," Stefan urged. "Anything is better than the truth."

"Stefan…"

"What, Bonnie?" Stefan suddenly shouted, "Would you really like to tell him that Elena died in his arms five years ago? That she's not here to stay at all?"

Bonnie flinched.

"That's what I thought, too," Stefan mumbled, taking a few steps back, realizing that he was scaring Bonnie.

"Okay," Bonnie swallowed thickly. "I won't."

* * *

><p>"I can't understand why I'm doing half these things," Elena said, inspecting the necklace. "How did I even find this?"<p>

"I don't have a clue," Damon admitted. "Is there anything else on the necklace?"

"Nothing," Elena said. "Just the date."

"I don't think it's a coincidence that a page in your diary and the necklace you found have the exact same date," Damon stated. "There has to be a connection."

"Maybe…" Elena muttered, but then her eyes widened. "Damon, I think I know someone who can help us…"

"Who?"

"Jenna," Elena breathed. "My aunt."

"You told me about her," Damon said. "But you said that if they see you there…they compelled her to kill herself."

"They did," Elena nodded. "But Damon…if you can help me, if you can convince them to let her go…"

"Not all vampires are on the same side, sweetheart," Damon said gently. "But I'll try."

"Thank you," Elena said honestly, "I don't know what I'll do without you.

He patted her arm lightly. "Do you want anything to eat or something before we head home?"

"No, thanks," Elena said, "I think I'll just take a nap…"

"Sure, go right ahead."

* * *

><p>Bonnie spent the major part of the afternoon staring at the paper in front of her. She didn't usually drink, but she was feeling too confused to think. Downing a shot of scotch in an instant, Bonnie sat down studying the paper again, almost hoping and thinking that there was a way to change things.<p>

She couldn't lie to Damon. There was nothing more painful than the truth, it was true. But he deserved to know.

"I'm sorry, Damon," Bonnie said to herself, "I can't let this hurt you again."

* * *

><p>Damon carried Elena out of the car gently, growling under his breath at how cold she always seemed to be whenever he touched her.<p>

"Damon?" Elena mumbled sleepily.

"Hey, princess," Damon said, touching her face gently. "Do you want to sleep more?"

"No," Elena rubbed her eyes. "I want to stay downstairs with you."

"Okay," Damon mumbled, and Elena tightened her grip on him. He liked it when she did that, he loved her instinct to move closer to him, she knew that he'll die before someone laid a finger on her.

"We can order a pizza and watch a movie, perhaps?" Damon offered, to ease the tension that was overwhelming them.

"Pizza sounds good," Elena agreed, "Been a long time since I tasted one."

"Well, that is about to change, "Damon assured her. "Cause even though I'm a vampire, I still adore the pizza this guy makes." He tapped his hand on the menu.

"Pick whatever you want."

Elena inspected the menu, going for a barbeque chicken pizza, and when Damon returned, he had the same.

"What movies do you like?" He asked, suddenly confused.

"Well, that depends if you like chick flicks…"

"I don't," Damon smiled wickedly. "How about we watch a horror movie?"

"Dracula?"

"Please, that guy brings shame to the entire vampire race."

Taking out Nightmare on Elm Street, Damon settled in next to Elena. "Don't worry. It's not the 2010 version."

"Hmph," Elena simply commented, and Damon bit his lip. He sometimes forgot that Elena spent the last three years running for her life. So he didn't comment again, instead he stood up and placed a bowl of popcorn in her lap.

* * *

><p>When the movie ended, Elena went to shower and change as Damon poured himself a glass of scotch, taking out a little box he owned.<p>

"Elena, I've got something for you," He called when he saw her, and the latter raised a surprised eyebrow.

"This ring," Damon stated, "Was my mother's. I know that you can't be compelled by vampires, but this still protects you from any harm." He took her hand gently.

"It fits perfectly," Elena said, admiring the little ring with that special blue stone that she was really liking. "What's this called?" She asked, pointing at the gem.

"Lapis lazuli," Damon said. "I have one too. It allows me to go out in the sun."

"Thanks for this, Damon," Elena smiled a little. "But if this ring has got much significance to you, why did you give it to me?"

"Cause my mom would've liked you," He mumbled honestly.

* * *

><p>It was about ten pm and Elena went to sleep. It was still too early for Damon, though, and he decided to go in the basement to get some bloodbags which were suddenly running very low. It was then that he heard a silent knock on the door.<p>

"Bonnie?" He asked confused, it was raining hard outside, and it must've been really important because otherwise she wouldn't have been there.

"Is Elena here?" She whispered when she was inside.

"She's asleep," Damon said, his voice low. "Why? Did you find something? I'll go wake her up…"

"No, Damon, I think it's better if _**we **_talk," Bonnie nodded her head. "I don't even know how to start, Damon. Hell, I don't even know if I should even be here…"

"What's going on, Bonnie?" Damon demanded, his face turning serious.

Bonnie took a deep breath. "I told you, Damon. Elena looks so familiar to me, it was like I've seen her somewhere before…" She swallowed thickly. "Then, I found these in my house."

She handed Damon two photos.

"What's this?" Damon asked confused, trying to figure out how the hell the photos ended up in the conversation. "Who are the kids?"

"The first photo is a photo from kindergarten," Bonnie said, then she pointed at a little girl. "This is me. And this…the girl next to me, is Elena."

"So you went to school together?"

"Yes," Bonnie mumbled. "But Damon, this photo was taken when we _**both **_were 3 years old…"

Realization struck in and Damon stared at Bonnie, "Wait, if you both took this picture when you both were 3, then how is Elena fourteen years old, not seventeen, like you?"

Bonnie bit her lip, and moved to the next photo. "This," She said, is a picture of Elena between 2006 and 2007. There is a description written where it's said that she is nine years old." Bonnie moved on to the next photo. "But this…this is 2003/2004. And here, it also says that Elena is nine years old."

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><p><strong>AN Short chapter but my computer is ruined and I'm borrowing my dad's, PLUS I'm super busy as I've got my very first job interview tomorrow :S**

**Pls review!**

**Like my facebook page and check out my new story Unnatural Love :)**


	15. Seeking Answers

**A/N Was amazing to hear about your thoughts. I know it's confusing, God it's confusing to write yet alone read, so I appreciate your interest in this story :D**

**It's time for just a tiny few answers... so flashback ahead ;) ****Don't forget to "LIKE" my facebook page: LiveBreatheVampires' fanfiction.**

* * *

><p>"What do these mean?" Damon felt like a tsunami of terror and trouble had just washed over him. He couldn't understand what those photos meant.<p>

"Damon…" Bonnie bit her lip. "You should know something."

"Enlighten me, please," Damon groaned, "Because suddenly I think that everyone knows what the hell's going on except me."

"Damon," Bonnie interrupted, ignoring his remarks. "I need you to stop talking and listen to me."

Damon breathed in and out evenly, trying to calm himself down. Pouring himself a glass of scotch, he slumped on the armchair. "I'm listening."

Bonnie sat next to him. "Damon, when you met Elena in the woods a few months ago, it wasn't the first time. You knew Elena before."

"What?"

"Let me explain."

* * *

><p><em>The Black Forest, Arizona, 2nd of January, 2002.<em>

_For once, Damon was feeling good. His life returned to normal, and even though there were still unanswered questions about the comet that could free Katherine, he had finally been able to pull his life together, going to Mystic Falls and start living again. Though he hated to admit it, he missed his brother. Catching up was good. They were living in another huge mansion in Arizona, since they travelled a lot. _

_It was about five pm when Damon decided to go out for a hunt. The place was still new to him, but he didn't have a problem. It's not like he could get lost or anything._

_But then, he felt something in his heart that was quite different than he had ever felt before. There was a sudden warmness in his heart, a kind of warmness that had been gone for a while._

"_Excuse me, Mister," The girl said in a childish voice. "Are you lost?"_

_Damon looked at the little girl, amused. She had an angel like face. "Yes. I am," He lied, so that he could talk to her. "What is this place?"_

_"The Black forest in Arizona," The little girl replied. "Here. I'm picking up flowers! Want one?"_

_But the girl gave him a red rose anyway, offered him a warm smile and ran away._

"_Hey! Wait up!" Damon called, running after her, keeping to his human speed._

_The girl stopped. "I have to go home."_

"_Can you tell me your name?" Damon asked sweetly, bending down to be eye-level with her. _

"_Elena Gilbert," She smiled, giving him a small curtsy. "Who are you?"_

"_My name's Damon Salvatore," Damon kissed her hand politely, teasing her. "How old are you, Elena?"_

"_I'm 8 years old," Elena smiled. "Will you be here tomorrow? You remind me of my brother. Can you play with me like he did?"_

_Damon's cold heart seemed to melt instantly at the girl's words. "I'll be here," He promised. "But where do you live? You can't run around like this."_

"_My mum doesn't want me to speak to anyone," Elena cried, "But I can't be alone. So I went out anyway. But I have to go now. Please…be here tomorrow."_

"_As you wish," Damon smiled a genuine smile._

"_Goodbye, Damon!"_

…

_The next day Damon kept his promise. He didn't know why, but that little girl was so cute and innocent. She reminded him of hope and courage, and in a twisted way, she looked so much like Katherine. At least, how he imagined Katherine to be when she was younger._

"_You came!" The little girl squeaked when she saw him, running up to him and hugging his chest. "Thank you!"_

_Damon was surprised but he hugged her back tightly. "Of course I did. I promised you."_

"_Jeremy promised too," Elena's lips started to wobble. "But he didn't keep his promise. He died and he left me alone."_

"_Oh my God," Damon bent down, boring his eyes to hers. "I'm sorry."_

"_Thank you," Elena wiped her nose with the back of her hand. "We moved to Arizona a few weeks ago. He died five months ago."_

_Damon reached out to pick her up, cradling her head against his chest. What was it about her that made him care? That the ice around his soul just…broke?_

_Elena hugged him tightly. "I like you."_

"_I like you too," He whispered, holding the girl tighter._

* * *

><p>Mystic Falls, Present Day<p>

"What do you mean?" Damon felt like he didn't belong to this world anymore. "What do you mean by saying that I met Elena in 2002?"

"Damon," Bonnie patted Elena's diary. "The girl wrote everything in this little book. There are details about you, she wrote about you, how you made her feel…" Bonnie took out one specific page carefully. "Look at this drawing."

She handed him a drawing, and sketched neatly, there was "Damon Salvatore" entitled behind it.

"She referred to you as her guardian Angel, Damon," Bonnie explained.

Damon stared at Bonnie like she was speaking a non-existent language.

"Why can't I remember, then?" He finally choked out. "I don't even remember being in Arizona in 2002."

"That is what I can't figure out," Bonnie mumbled. "Did Elena ever mention something to you?"

"She said that I looked familiar once, even Stefan…" Damon hesitated. "Do you think Stefan met her before? He said that he knew her somewhere."

"Could be," Bonnie said. "I can't be sure. But did she tell you anything else?"

"No," Damon nodded. "But last time…I saw a flashback of a girl giving me a red rose when I was...with her." He didn't want to say when he was _kissing _her. "And you said that this is how we met. She gave me a red rose."

"Yes," Bonnie confirmed. "But I don't know anything except what I found out from the diary."

"What about the photos?" Damon asked, "How is she nine years old in different years? And how isn't she seventeen years old like you today if the photo showed that you were both three?"

Bonnie bit her lip. "Damon, there are things that I can do to find out things. But I need time. These things need time…"

"I know," Damon sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I know. You're right. But what am I going to do, Bonnie? She has a right to know. At the same time, what am I going to tell her? We're not even sure ourselves."

"Don't tell her anything, yet," Bonnie said. "It's better this way."

Bonnie stood up. "My work here is done. I'll tell you if I find anything."

"Thank you, Bonnie," Damon mumbled quietly. "If you want to sleep here…The weather is still bad…"

"No, it's fine, thank you," Bonnie smiled a little. "And you're welcome."

* * *

><p>"Tell me, Jenna Sommers," Klaus smirked casually at his hostage, handing her a picture. "Do you know this man?"<p>

Frightened, Jenna examined the picture, but she bit her lip.

"No need to be afraid, love," Klaus said in a perfect British accent. "It's just a simple question."

"No," Jenna said, "I don't."

"Are you sure?" Klaus smirked, "You know I can compel you, Jenna."

"It's the truth."

He raised an eyebrow suspiciously. "If I find out otherwise, I will make _you_ kill Elena."

* * *

><p>"You went to see Damon." The second Bonnie entered home; Stefan was there, accusation written all over his face.<p>

"Stefan…"

"I saw what you've been digging," Stefan said. "What did you say? Why isn't he…"

"I didn't do it, okay?" Bonnie suddenly shouted. "I couldn't. I just told him how he met her."

"And how did he take that?" Stefan seemed calmer.

"He was confused, what do you think?" Bonnie snapped. "And I had to lie. I told him that I don't know the how's and why's."

"Did you mention me and the compulsion of Klaus?"

"No," Bonnie sighed. "Are you sure…about the compulsion I mean?"

"Positive. Compulsion was involved."

"Why didn't you do it, Bonnie?"

"Because your brother loves Elena. Whether if it's the fatherly kind of love or the romantic kind of love he has towards her is still a mystery but he truly loves and cares about her."

"He loved her like his own daughter in 2002. Hell, even I did."

* * *

><p>Damon was going to bed when he suddenly saw an unopened letter on the ground. He rarely had letters so curiosity got the best of him, and he tore at the envelope patiently.<p>

It was written in a language that he didn't recognize at first.

Damon,

Iltaqa' miegħi l-bar għada fis-siegħa ta' filgħodu. Tgħid lil ħadd fuq din l-ittra. Jiena nista' ngħinek. Ġib lit-tfajla miegħek.

-B.

Bree always did that. Whenever she had information that she didn't want anyone to have, she wrote him letters in foreign languages and pen names.

"Damon,

Meet me in the bar tomorrow at 1am. Do not tell anyone about this letter, I think I can help you. Bring the girl with you."

-B

Translating it in his head and pondering his options, he actually thanked God that Bree found something about the memory spell they intended to perform on Elena a few weeks before. The spell could be more useful now with everything going on.

He folded the letter neatly before going upstairs to check on Elena. Surprisingly, he found her in his bed, under the warm covers. She looked like a goddess.

He leaned on his back, staring at her. She stirred and mumbled sleepily, "Damon?"

"I'm right here, angel," Damon stroked her face lightly. "Go back to sleep."

"Goodnight, Damon…"

"Sleep tight, Elena."

* * *

><p><strong>Couldn't resist typing something in my own country's language :P I was gonna look it up in Latin but it was too confusing ;P<strong>

**Long A/N ahead to refresh memory:**

**Story about Elena's travel to Arizona: Chapter 5, Elena**

**Flashback of Damon meeting the young girl with the rose: Chapter 10, A truth that hurts**

**Jenna and Klaus: Chapter 10, A truth that hurts**

**Mentioning of compulsion on Damon: Just a line in chapter 9, A past that haunts you**

**Like my facebook page for photos, updates and chats ;) I will be uploading the vampire symbol that was used in earlier chapters as it will be important :D **

**Please leave a review and check out my other stories-My recent one "Unnatural Love".**


	16. Confusion

**Thx so much Courtney for BETA-Ing for me!**

**Check out her stories-Cdaye8184 :)**

* * *

><p>"Elena, we have to go to meet an old friend of mine later." It was about eleven pm the following day, and after a pretty normal day Damon decided to tell Elena. The letter was confusing him; suddenly Bree knew something that he didn't. "Is it okay for you?"<p>

"Sure," Elena said, though she secretly didn't want to leave the house.

"Elena, if it's a problem, we can stay…" He walked towards her and grabbed her face. "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure," She smiled at him.

Elena then stared at him with her beautiful doe eyes. "I want something, though, before we leave."

"What?"

"I want you to kiss me, Damon."

"Elena…We've been through this…"

"I'm not young," Elena said determined. "I want it. Don't even tell me that I'm young. It's better if you tell me that you don't want to kiss me rather than telling me you can't because I'm young. I know what I want, Damon. I want you."

Damon turned around, hesitating. He could feel her gaze on him.

But then Damon blurred in front of her, grabbing her face and crashing her lips to his. Elena kissed him back immediately, her fingers twirling in his hair as he pulled her closer to him. His arms encircled her waist and she moved around so that she was against the wall. Damon took this opportunity to lift her up a little and he continued to kiss her.

"One of us still needs to breathe…" Elena panted when the kiss took longer than she imagined, and Damon smiled at her, backing away. She stared at him as she inhaled, and Damon tapped her nose lightly.

"You know that you're the main part of my life now, don't you?" Damon said slowly, staring at her with sincere eyes.

"I know that," Elena said in a quiet voice. "And I know that I'm still alive because of you."

"I promised you that I'll keep you safe. I'm going to honor my word forever."

He stroked her cheek and then he backed away from her. "I'll let you go and change, angel."

* * *

><p>"So, where are we going exactly?"<p>

"Bree sent me a letter. She told me that she found something new."

"I brought you so much confusion," Elena said, chuckling a little. "And I don't even know who I am."

"It doesn't matter to me, Elena," Damon said in a serious tone. "I don't care about your past. You're my girl no matter what."

Elena's eyes almost filled with tears when she heard him calling her his girl. It had been so long since she felt _loved. _He gave her knee a gentle squeeze and kept his eyes on the road.

"I have been having bad dreams again," Elena later announced. "I don't know why."

"What dreams?"

"I don't know. I see the necklaces a lot. And I always see fire…" Elena mumbled, "And then I see you."

"Me?"

She nodded her head.

"Am I hurting you in your dreams?"

"No. I just see you crying, shutting people out."

Damon paused for a while, almost feeling a sense of déjà vu. "Do you see more people?"

"I see Bonnie," Elena continued, then she continued hesitantly, "And Stefan."

He almost lost his grip on the wheel. "_What_?"

"He's always in my dreams," Elena continued. "Do you remember, the first time that you brought me to your house? I told you when I saw Stefan's picture that Stefan was familiar. I noticed that he's the same person in my dreams."

"Why didn't you tell me before, Elena?"

"When you told me about your relationship with your brother I didn't want to upset you," Elena mumbled truthfully.

He nodded slightly. "What do you see?"

"I just see him with you, trying to give you support…But it's just pieces…I see pieces. I'm starting to believe that maybe it's a puzzle. Maybe someone's trying to tell me something."

"Elena, my brother and I never had a comforting discussion, trust me," Damon said. "It's just a dream."

"I don't believe that," Elena said hesitantly. "I think that you care about your brother."

Damon bit his lip. He wouldn't answer that.

* * *

><p>They finally arrived. It was a cold night, and the wind was strong. The sky was full of black clouds, and a shiver ran up Elena's spine when she saw the bright full moon. Damon took her hand in his and squeezed it to reassure her that nothing bad would happen to her.<p>

The bar wasn't open, but Damon knew that Bree wanted to speak to them in private. Nobody knew her secret except one or two vampires.

"Bree?" Damon called out, but the room was empty. He started to make his way to one of the rooms when suddenly, a small voice answered him back.

"I'm sorry, Damon." It was Bree's voice, but when Damon turned to see what the hell she was talking about, Bree gave him a brain aneurysm using her powers, enough to make his vision blur. Then, before Elena could react or come help him, a man came and grabbed Elena from her waist.

He felt a huge impact on his head.

* * *

><p>He could feel himself weakening by the second. His bones snapped into place, and black and white dots filled his vision. Where the hell was he?<p>

He heard very distant voices, and he bit back a scream when something dug deep into his skin. He realized that he had a wound on his arm that had been created with vervain.

When he started to see clearly, though, he realized that he was in some kind of cell. Panic raised inside him when he realized that Elena was not there.

The door flung open and Damon, who was slowly getting his strength back, turned to see who the person was.

"Damon Salvatore."

"Who the hell are you?"

"Don't you remember me, Damon?" A perfect British accent asked. "My name is Niklaus. You might know me better as Klaus."

Damon stared in disgust. He knew that this vampire was the person that had put Elena through hell.

"Based on your warm welcome…I think you know who I am and what I want. Or better yet, _who _I want."

"I won't let you hurt Elena," Damon said in a fiery voice. "You've done enough."

"Silly boy," Klaus smirked. "I thought that you wised up…I was mistaken."

"What do you mean by that?" Damon was now standing in front of Klaus, a menacing glance on his face.

"Not yet, Damon, not yet," Klaus said, keeping the same tone.

"Where's Elena?"

"Oh. She's being taken care of right now."

"What are you doing to her? I swear to God, if you harm a hair on her head I will rip you apart slowly…"

"Betraying your own kind for a _human,_" Klaus spat out the word human like a curse. "A _mortal_."

"Where's Elena?" Damon demanded again, blurring and pinning Klaus to the wall. The latter casually grabbed Damon's arm and twisted it behind his back. "I'm stronger than you, little boy."

Damon bit back a groan and Klaus smirked. "Well…if you insist…" Klaus lead Damon to the opposite side of the cell. There was a glass door and when Damon looked through it, he saw Elena lying on the floor, clearly in pain. She was bleeding violently and her face was pale. Next to her, two vampires were ruthlessly feeding from her neck, each one on each side of her neck.

"Stop!" Damon roared, pushing the door with all his strength, but he winced back when he felt his hands slowly burning.

"Oh, didn't I mention that the door is spiked with vervain? No?" Klaus smirked, and at the same time, Damon saw Elena's face agonizingly turn to his direction, her eyes begging him to help her.

"So sad, isn't it?" Klaus commented when he realized what was going on. "Now, this is how it's going to work. I want Elena either way, however I'm going to leave it up to you. Either you do what I want from you and…hmm, how am I going to put it…Yes, treat her nicely. Or you can deny and I'll keep hurting her. What do you think, Damon?"

"I'll do whatever you want, just stop hurting her," Damon growled, fighting to not attack Klaus again.

Klaus smirked, and in one swift movement of his fingers, the two vampires left Elena's side.

"Let me talk to her."

"I don't see why not," Klaus shook his head. "Don't even think about giving her vampire blood, though."

"I can't…"

"Damon."

"I won't," Damon hated being commanded by someone like that. But for Elena's sake, he nodded his head and complied.

Klaus pushed the door with one swift movement, barely noticing the pain the vervain brought on vampires.

Damon rushed into the room, cradling Elena's head in his arms. She was shaking violently, obviously she was scared and she was so cold after the blood loss.

"Shh, shh, it's okay, I'll get you out of here," Damon promised, shushing her gently. "I'll get you out, okay? Trust me…"

"It's too late, Damon," Tears streamed down her cheeks. "It's over for me now. I don't want to run anymore. He found me."

"Elena, don't…"

"Damon, I remember everything now," Elena wept. "I remembered everything the second they brought me here. Don't you remember, Damon?"

"Remember what, Elena? Remember what?"

"That you already tried saving me once, Damon. But I never made it out."

* * *

><p>Please Review! Next chapter will be soo important ;D<p> 


	17. Flashbacks: Part 1

_**A/N Thank you Courtney for Beta-ing this chapter for me, you're awesome ;D Check out her stories-Her pen name is Cdaye8184.**_

_**Oh, have you seen the "New Image Manager" button, writers? I used a new image. Though the girl obviously isn't Elena, the image has a meaning. The open book reprsents Elena's diary which we will learn about later and it's a symbol of Elena's story. The girl's sad face represents Elena and the red rose is the rose Elena gave Damon earlier in the story which we will also learn about. The rose also represents life and death. The picture just fit perfectly.**_

_**IMPORTANT: This chapter is full of flashbacks that will guide us to solve the things that have been going on lately.**_

* * *

><p><em>"Damon, I remember everything now," Elena wept. "I remembered everything the second they brought me here. Don't you remember, Damon?"<em>

_"Remember what, Elena? Remember what?"_

_"That you already tried saving me once, Damon. But I never made it out."_

Damon's blood ran cold. What the hell was she talking about? The words "But I never made it out" made his heart ache. He looked at the girl in front of him and for a while he thought that he was staring at a ghost of some sort. Elena was weeping, squeezing his hand, now begging him to leave.

"I'm not leaving you," Damon finally came to his senses. "What's going on, Elena? Tell me!"

"Damon, it's useless," Elena wept, "Go. They will kill you, you know they will!"

"What…" A lump formed in Damon's throat. "What are you saying, Elena? Why are you saying such things?"

The door suddenly opened and a strawberry blonde was pushed inside the room.

"Elena?" The woman said, and Elena gasped.

"Aunt Jenna?"

"Oh my dear God," Jenna gasped, reaching forward to hold her niece. Her face was tearstained, and she was sobbing so much that Damon's heart ached.

"Aunt J-Jenna…" Elena wept in her chest. "Oh my God…"

* * *

><p>"Elena," Damon finally reached out to hold the girl, who still needed her rest after the blood loss. He cradled her head in his arms and stroked her hair lightly. "Elena…What do you remember?"<p>

"Damon, it's over for me now," She said, "You don't have to go through this. Go home, live your life…and forget me."

"Nonsense," Damon cupped her cheek. "Elena, please…"

"You don't remember anything?" Jenna gasped, in horror. "Not even that night?"

Damon braced himself for whatever it was they were talking about. "I keep having memories and dreams about Elena," He finally confessed. "I see fire." He turned to Elena.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Elena asked, knowing that her dreams were the same.

"I didn't want to upset you," Damon continued, "But I have to know. Whatever happened…I have to know. What's important is that Elena is here, and I'll protect her no matter what. I can handle anything."

Jenna wiped tears from her eyes. "Damon, when you hear what I have to say…"

"I don't care. Say it."

* * *

><p><em>May 20th, 2004<em>

"_Damon…" _

_The girl's voice melted the ice around his heart. He couldn't believe how much he loved this little girl, this innocent human being. They were both in the forest now, where they had met two years before, when Elena was just eight years old. She was nine years old now, turning ten in a couple of months._

"_Yes, princess?" He tucked a piece of her wispy brown hair behind her ears._

"_My mommy says that I have to go," He noticed tears in Elena's eyes. "She says we have to move."_

"_Move? Move to where?" Damon's heart swelled at the thought of losing his little princess forever._

"_She didn't tell me," Elena's lips wobbled. "But she says it's not safe anymore. She says that bad people are trying to harm me."_

"_Can I come and talk to your mother?" He asked, wanting to help in any way._

"_My mum doesn't know that I'm meeting you," Elena said, "She doesn't want me to speak to strangers. But I don't want to leave, Damon. I'll miss you so much…" She walked all the way to his lap and hugged him as tight as she could. "You remind me of my brother…"_

_She looked at her little wristwatch. "I have to go, Damon…I will come tomorrow…"_

* * *

><p><em>Damon had hardly slept that night. He couldn't bear the idea. That girl was his only link to humanity left. Without her, he would be just a vicious monster.<em>

_He didn't care. He had to go and pay a visit to her mother._

_And that's what he did._

_He knew where she lived, of course. They spent almost two years meeting in that little forest._

_However, he gasped in horror when he saw Elena's house falling to pieces. Elena was screaming. Somebody was hurting his little girl._

_He blurred to the house in an instant. He couldn't enter, though. He saw Elena and her mother screaming and weeping next to a corpse. Elena's mother was attempting to do some sort of ritual. _

"_Damon!" Elena screamed, her eyes filled with tears. "Damon! Daddy's dead!"_

_Her words broke his heart._

_Elena's mother turned to Damon. "Damon," She begged, "Help us. Feed my husband your blood."_

_Damon didn't have the time to process how she knew his secret._

"_Come in," She begged, and the moment his legs went through the door, he knelt next to the man. He bit in his wrist, forcing the man to swallow. Elena's tear stained face was heartbreaking._

_But the man did not move._

_Elena's mother let out a cry of helplessness._

"_Let me take you away from here," He pleaded._

"_No," The woman said, "Take Elena. Please, protect her…They're after her…Please…"_

"_I have a safe house I can take you to, please let me," Damon said as he took Elena in his arms. _

_The woman complied._

* * *

><p><em>When Damon took the two girls in the house he shared with his brother, they were devastated. Elena's mother, Miranda, was heartbroken. He made a cup of coffee for her and tried to soothe them as much as possible.<em>

"_I know that you and my daughter were meeting," Miranda said when she took a sip of her coffee. "I'm a witch. My daughter's the last heir of the Petrova power. Our magic differs from other witches." _

"_If you knew what I am…then why…"_

"_At first, I was afraid. But then I realized that your intentions are pure, and that you won't do anything to harm my little girl. I saw when you and your brother saved her from that snakebite a few months back. I'm grateful for that."_

"_Why are they after Elena? Who is after her?"_

"_Elena's the last heir of the Petrova powers. Our powers can end all species, including Klaus's and the Original Family. They killed my son to get me to give them Elena. Now…my husband's gone." She tried to be strong, but Damon saw her pain._

"_Our magic started on four necklaces. Every bloodline of witches starts on an object. Ours started on four necklaces, which were once as one. Over the years, they were stolen from us and hidden by humans, since they thought that the pentagram only represented evil. A witch that gets their hands on the necklaces can have great power. Klaus wants them all to destroy every witch on earth, however if those necklaces are destroyed, the world will all be put at risk. Klaus will be truly immortal-Since those necklaces are what provides us with power to end him."_

_Damon knew the Original family. He knew how much Klaus wanted power._

"_But why is he after Elena specifically?"_

"_He wants to kill her. Elena's different. She developed powers at a young age. He fears that she is able to kill him…with or without the necklaces. We've been running for years now. We always get caught. Last time, my son paid the price with his life."_

_Damon could only imagine the pain that woman had to go through. _

"_I fear that my time has come," Miranda continued, "Please…I've been watching you with my daughter. She changes you, and you protect her. Can you promise me, that if I die, my little girl won't be alone?"_

"_Of course," Damon promised without a second thought. "Of course."_

* * *

><p><em>May 23rd, 2004, 1.00pm<em>

"_She doesn't want to eat," Stefan informed Damon, a plate of pasta in his hands. _

_It was amazing how much things changed in those last few days. Damon gave everything and did everything he could to help heal the poor girl's heart. _

_Damon's face fell. He didn't like Elena's condition. _

"_I'll talk to her," Damon sighed, taking the dish._

_When he went upstairs, he felt a lump in his throat when he saw Elena on the bed, curled to a ball. Her father's death had obviously effected her, and Miranda couldn't even comfort her daughter._

"_You have to eat something, princess," He told her, grabbing her chin and stroking her hand with his thumb. "Your daddy wants you to be strong."_

"_My daddy is gone," She said, tears forming in her eyes._

"_No he isn't. He's still with you," Damon soothed her, "And I've got you now. You're safe, okay? Even your mother is. You're both safe."_

_She hugged him as tight as she could. "Thank you, Damon."_

_He stroked her hair, rocking her gently._

* * *

><p><em>May 23rd, 6 pm<em>

"_Have you seen Elena anywhere?" Damon asked Stefan, "She isn't in her room."_

"_No, I haven't seen her since earlier this afternoon," Stefan replied, "Maybe she's in the garden or something?"_

_Damon called Elena's name. _

_No reply._

"_Elena, where are you?" He said again, but no answer was given._

"_Where is she?" Miranda asked, "She was here a few minutes ago. She said she was going to water the plants on the porch."_

_Damon suddenly quieted. "I smell blood," He finally choked out._

"_Elena?" Miranda panicked. "Elena where are you?"_

"_The tracker spell," Miranda continued, "We have to do a tracker spell."_

…

* * *

><p>"<em>She's by Wickery Falls," She finally said. <em>

"_That's so far away. She couldn't have gone there on foot…"_

_Damon was not listening. He had already taken off. _

* * *

><p>"<em>Damon, you have to calm down," Stefan tried to calm his brother down, but he was failing. "One wrong move can lead to her death. Calm down!"<em>

"_Calm down? How can I calm down when I see them hurting her like that?" Damon roared, "It has to be Klaus's doing."_

"_We'll get her out of there, Damon, but we have to think this through…"_

_But before they could breathe a word, they felt darkness overwhelm them._

* * *

><p>"<em>Funny how much you changed, Damon Salvatore," Klaus spat through clenched teeth. Damon wasn't seeing properly, his vision was blurring and he was in pain. He realized he was being shackled by vervain chains.<em>

"_I'm going to get the girl no matter what, Damon Salvatore," Klaus continued, "Tonight's the full moon. I finally got my hands on the girl…and her mother, as well…You lose, Damon. You cannot do anything to save them anymore." He turned to Stefan. "You're weak just like your brother. This isn't you."_

"_She's here if you want to say goodbye."_

_Two vampires came in the room, holding Elena tightly by her arms. Elena was hurt and bruised, and she was sobbing softly, her eyes avoiding Damon or Stefan's. _

_Klaus came in front of her and stroked her cheek lightly. "Don't worry, little girl. I won't let you suffer. You won't feel a thing."_

"_Get your hands off her," Damon roared and fought against the chains, but it was useless. The vervain was burning him, and his wrists were too tight._

"_Oh dear, it seems I've hit a nerve," Klaus smirked, then told the vampires, "Take her away. Get her in the forest and bring the witches."_

* * *

><p><em>Agony filled Damon and Stefan's bodies as they refused to stay there like nothing was going to happen. "They're taking her away," Damon gasped, "There's Miranda too…"<em>

"_Damon, it's useless," Stefan said helplessly, "We can't do anything…"_

"_No, don't you dare say that!" Damon groaned, "Don't you dare!"_

_He kept pulling and fighting against the chains, hoping and praying that they would finally snap. He could hear a fire-circle and Elena being thrown savagely in it. With one large push, Damon managed to get one of his hands free._

_He continued to struggle until his wrists finally were free. With a quick movement, he helped Stefan out and they ran to the direction of the forest with vampiric speed. _

_They were too late._

_Klaus had his hands wrapped around the little girl's small waist, the fire circle trapping her, making her unable to move. He was drinking hungrily from her._

_Damon blurred next to them, but all he saw was Elena's pale face. Without warning, Klaus let go of Elena and threw her harshly on the floor. Her lifeless body was by Damon's feet. _

_Damon let out a cry of helplessness as he lunged at Klaus, however the environment quickly changed too. Elena's death had truly effected the world-the weather suddenly was black, and the wind was strong, much strong than it was supposed to be. And then, Miranda's voice was heard, and she was crying and chanting-or better-begging someone to help._

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><p><em>To be continued…<em>


	18. Flashbacks: Part 2

A/N Thx so much for reviewing :) Who knows, maybe I can reach 200… :D

**Thanks to Courtney for Beta-ing this chapter for me again :D She deserves a shoutout-Read her stories, they're amazing-her username's Cdaye8184 **

**This chapter picks up from what the last one left off.**

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><p><em>Damon had Klaus pinned to a tree, hitting him furiously even though it didn't even begin to shake him, of course. Tears were streaming down his cheek, the innocent angel he loved was just killed in front of him. <em>

_The weather played a part in this too, and rain started to pour heavily. Lightning and thunderstorms followed. And then, out of nowhere, he saw Bonnie, his friend and witch Bonnie, who was trying to calm him down. Had Stefan contacted her in some way?_

_He didn't even know what was going on. He realized, however, that Bonnie's magic was making Klaus have an aneurysm. He rushed to Elena, who was now lifeless on the ground, and cradled her head. No, it couldn't be._

_The world enclosed on him, and everything turned black._

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><p><em>Present Day<em>

"I don't know what happened," Jenna finished, "All that Miranda told me was that you passed out. When you woke up the next morning, you didn't recognize any of them, except for Bonnie. You attacked your brother, and told him that you hated him for taking Katherine away from you. We couldn't understand, you didn't even mention Elena's name once. You left."

Damon was speechless. Most of all, he was confused. What the hell happened to him? He couldn't remember. But what haunted him was not this…If Elena died then…

"I can't understand," Damon swallowed thickly. "Elena…"

She was crying. She couldn't even face him.

"Damon…I think I should tell you how Elena ended up living with me." Jenna cleared her throat, facing him. "If you want to hear it that is."

Damon nodded his head weakly, afraid of the truth that was about to come out and he almost hesitated in nodding but his eyes urged her to carry on quickly.

Jenna cleared her throat and a look of sadness washed over her as she began to talk about her dear, sweet, powerful sister.

"For years, I knew that Miranda was a witch. I thought that I inherited magic but, as it turns out; I'm a fragile human" She chuckled trying to ease the tension knowing that it couldn't possibly be easy for Damon to hear this.

"Miranda knew that the world of the supernatural was not an easy one, so despite the bond we had, she decided to leave me. She was afraid that if something happens, I'll become a victim."

She cleared her throat again, her eyes watery. "She kept in touch at first. She called me and sent letters. Two years after her departure, she sent me a letter where she told me how deeply she missed me, and she told me that she needed someone to talk to. She said that she was returning to town for a few days. I remember we met in a café and she told me about a handsome guy she was planning to marry soon. She was in love," Jenna smiled, looking at Elena. "She loved your father very much. Apparently he had wanted to marry her for a long time but because of her lifestyle…She was scared that she would never be able to have a normal family."

Jenna paused, looking at Elena, who urged her to continue.

"She started to cry and told me that she was pregnant. She was sad not because she didn't want your brother Jeremy, but because she was afraid that someone will want to cause him harm. She didn't want to bring him into the world knowing he would be at risk. I assured her that as long as nobody knew her secret, she was safe. However I also urged her to tell Grayson her secret."

When she went back home again, we didn't keep in touch for a while. She had only written one letter when she told me that Grayson had accepted her for who she was, and the baby. Then, when he was born, she invited me to see him. Things were going fine until she was pregnant again with you" She motioned over to Elena who just barely nodded. "After she gave birth to you, she was very weak. I stayed at your house for two weeks and helped her with everything."

Jenna smiled at the memories. "Things quickly changed, though, when I went back. I got a new job, and I was working too much and too hard. We didn't keep in touch any more, except for maybe a call once in a very while. Then, I met Miranda again in 2004. Nine years later."

"I always remember that night. I opened the door and found her, crying on my porch. I couldn't understand what was going on. Seeing your sister after nine years was supposed to be a different reunion. Heart broken, Miranda told me everything that had been going on ever since you were born: Klaus, Jeremy's death…I was heartbroken. Then, she took my hand in hers and with more tears streaming down her cheeks, she told me about you…and Damon. She told me that Klaus succeeded in killing you and your dad."

Jenna wiped tears that streamed freely down her cheeks. "She loved you so much, Elena. She couldn't let you go. She told me that when you died, she had used her necklace to contact the spirits. She begged them to bring you back, but they didn't want to help. They said that nature couldn't be unbalanced. With tears and hate in her eyes, she told me that she had turned to the evil spirits to help her and they did-However, in return she had to give them her powers, in the symbol of one necklace."

"The deal was done. The spirits knew that your mother had the strongest necklace, and they were aiming to destroy everything which was considered good and gentle. They said that they couldn't bring you back instantly because things took time. They told her to bury you and when the time comes, she had to be prepared."

"She did. She spent two years living with me, and she spent days, sometimes nights, next to your grave. She was always writing in the journal that I gave you, Elena. That was hers. She also wrote the story of your death using symbols, hoping that someday when you grow up you'll forgive her for leaving you unprotected. She knew that with the deal she made, she was going to be damned, since a witch is supposed to turn to good spirits, not the evil ones."

She left my house, trying to cope on her own. She spent a year alone, ignoring my calls, visits…Then, in 2007, she called me. She told me that the spirits kept their promise. You were back, healthy as ever but you were back as a nine year old. It didn't mater that time had passed."

Damon swallowed, sudden things rushing into his mind at once. It made perfect sense now. Elena was supposed to be three years older than she was. She was supposed to be brought back as a twelve years old, but the spirits brought her back as a nine year old…

That's why she had two pictures of different dates taken when she was nine years old!

Damon's head was spinning. This was all too much to handle. Questions invaded his mind…How could he not remember?

"When she told me that I must take Elena, I thought that by that she meant bringing you up together. But when she came here, she told me that she didn't want to give the necklace to the spirits anymore, because she realized that doing so could cause innocent people getting hurt, including you, since you're the last heir of the Petrova blood. Of course, the spirits didn't take it lightly. Spirits had a way to use humans, or in this case, vampires. They turned to Klaus and asked for his help. He immediately knew that you were back and he swore a vendetta right that second. Miranda knew that the only way to keep you safe was to let you go…Of course, she left you her necklace and told me to help you find the other three and give them to the good spirits in return for forgiveness. She didn't want you two to be damned."

"A couple of years later, a man rang our bell. He said that his name was Stefan Salvatore," Jenna eyed Damon. She was now smiling, the tears finally starting to subside. "He told me that he was there to help. He knew about your existence, and he brought a witch, Bonnie-with him. The witch apparently had a vision of your return. She said that the good spirits wanted to balance nature again…and they wanted you dead."

A lump formed in Jenna's throat. "Bonnie told them if there was another way, and after a few days of thinking, they said that they wanted the necklaces and you can help them get those necklaces. They said that by having their hands on the necklaces, there will be balance-Klaus wouldn't be able to kill witches and he would be just another original vampire. They also said that without the necklaces, no witch can be too strong. They believed that with your Petrova bloodline, you could help them get the necklaces back."

"It's true," Elena finally spoke. "I do have special powers sometimes. I was able to sense that Damon was more than human the first time that I entered his house. I also felt a strange connection to the place where Damon and I found a few days ago. I found the second necklace there, along with the date May 23rd, 2009."

"I don't know what that date means…" Jenna bit her lip. "All I know is that we're here now, and Klaus will repeat history. He wants you dead and he wants the necklaces for himself. He's too obsessed with power…"

"What about the mark in her back?" Damon suddenly asked, "What does that mean?"

"I remembered how I got that," Elena swallowed. "It's not pleasant."

"Elena, right now my head is spinning," Damon said as he began to count the information he had just learned on his fingers. "You're supposed to be seventeen years old, the evil spirits and Klaus want you, the good spirits want you to give them the fucking necklaces…I think I can handle a mark on your back."

"Fine," Elena continued. "I told you I was kidnapped more than once. That mark was done by one of the vampires. It's called the bloodbond symbol. Klaus wanted to bind my blood to his to torture me and connect with my mind. That explains the dreams I was having about him killing me. That was his way of being able to follow me everywhere I go…He had an eye on me all this time, Damon. Now he's bored of waiting for me to get the necklaces and he wants to end my life-Again."

"I won't let him," Damon swore. "This has to be over. We'll find the necklaces, Elena, and I'll get you both out of here, I swear to God…"

"I wouldn't swear if I were you," Klaus smirked, suddenly appearing between them. "So, now that you know the entire story, is there anything more to add?"

"Go to Hell, Klaus," Damon spat, his eyes menacing. He wanted to rip that bastard apart for everything he'd done. For ruining their life, Elena's life.

Klaus flashed next to Elena and yanked her upwards, pulling her hair so tightly that her scalp started to burn. "This girl is the reason why you are the weak vampire you are today," He spat, holding her like a rag doll. "You're so weak it disgusts me. I won't let you, though. I already compelled you once, I can easily do it again…I think it would be lovely to see _you _kill Elena…" He laughed evilly.

Before Damon could ask what he meant by "Compelled you once" Klaus took Elena away, the evil smirk still in place, and he felt a vervain dart going into his arm.

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><p>"I had a vision, Stefan," Bonnie didn't even give him the chance to open the door properly. "Your brother's in danger. Even Elena. He knows about her, Damon…He knows that she died."<p>

"_What?"_

"There is no time for this, Stefan…"

"Does he know about our deal? About the spirit part?"

Bonnie bit her lip. "He only knows half of it. What Jenna knows."

"And Elena…?"

Bonnie closed her eyes. "The witches told her. She knows she isn't going to be alive for too long. I can't do anything more to save her, Stefan."

"It's not fair. We had a deal, "It's not fair. We had a deal. Bonnie you said you would do everything you can."

"I know," Bonnie mumbled. "But it's clear. Evil is taking everything away from them. There are too many witches that turned to evil. They want it to end. They don't want Elena here." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "But I do. I don't care what they say, I'm going to help your brother and my friend right now."

"And I'm coming with you," Stefan said, determined.

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><p><strong>Pls review and Like my facebook page (Link on profile) and you can ask whatever questions you might have ;D<strong>


	19. Deals

The vervain took forever to pass out of his system. He felt weak and hungry, and when he woke up, Jenna was next to him, offering him her blood from her wrist. He tried to push her wrist away, but after her reassurance he couldn't deny blood anymore. He sucked on her wrist hoping to get his strength back, and then thanked her.

"He took her away," Jenna said heartbroken. "He threatened that he'd kill you if she doesn't find the other two necklaces."

He couldn't even face Jenna. Elena was unprotected and alone because of him.

"I have to help her, Jenna," He said weakly, "Do you know where he's taking her?"

Before they could speak, though, the door slumped open and a familiar face entered the room. Bonnie.

"Oh God, Damon, are you okay?" She fled, reaching out to help her friend.

"Bonnie?" He asked, his eyes wide in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to save your ass," Bonnie smiled genuinely, helping Jenna up. "Stefan's here. I already tried the locator's spell…he is taking Elena to the Falls."

"Wait, how do you know about all this?" He asked confused. He couldn't understand, he hadn't felt dizzy in over one hundred years but today was an exception. There was too much going on, Elena's life was at stake and he barely had time to digest the other information he had just received, one of them being that Elena was actually seventeen years old.

"Damon, I can't explain right now, we have to help Elena," Bonnie urged, "Stefan's on our side too, okay? Just trust me."

Easier said than done, he wanted to say. It was almost impossible to trust someone in this mess. But, for Elena's sake, he nodded and followed her.

…

"I know you can sense the necklaces Elena," Klaus growled, yanking Elena's hair so roughly that her scalp started to burn. "Stop wasting my time, we can get this over with…"

"I told you, I don't know!" Elena screamed, but that only earned her a blow, and she fell on her knees on the cold, hard ground.

"This is the place where the witches were massacred. The power here is unexplainable, I know there is at least one necklace here," He barked in her face, his eyes menacing. "Now, be a good girl and tell me where they are or I'm going to rip you apart until you beg me to kill you."

"I don't know where they are, please believe me," Elena begged, though she knew exactly where the necklace was. She could sense its presence in the waterfall itself, and after focusing, she saw that it was in a box buried deep where no human could get it. She could feel a very strong presence and for a while she thought that both of the necklaces were there.

Klaus stepped away from her, unsure of what to do. She crew cold as he started to circle her, until he was pressed up against her backside, his voice threatening next to her ear.

"If you're lying," He placed a few kisses along her neck, letting his fangs elongate so that she knew that they were there, "I will rip Damon in front of you. From limb to limb. I'll make you watch."

Horror sunk in Elena's features and Klaus smirked, tracing her nose with his finger. "Now, are you sure you don't want to tell Klaus anything?"

With tears threatening to spill, she knew that she had no choice. She wouldn't risk Damon's life. He mattered.

"They're right in there under the waterfall," She choked out.

"See? Much better when you co-operate." Klaus's eyes darkened. "Now, Elena…" He unzipped her shirt, smug smile still in place. "Go and get it for me."

"I c-can't…"

"I'm sure you can, Elena," He continued, "You're a good swimmer."

"Please, I'll wait for you, I won't do anything stupid…"

"Shut up and get me my necklaces!" Klaus backhanded her so violently that she spun twice in the air before falling on the hard ground again. "Now!"

…

"There they are," Bonnie gasped, pointing at Klaus and Elena's direction.

"He's making her get in the water," Damon commented, "Why?"

"He's trying to get the necklaces back. They're hidden in the water," Bonnie explained without looking at them.

"I can't let her do that," Damon almost blurred away but Bonnie stopped him. "Damon, we need a plan."

…

The deeper she got the shortage her intake of breath was, and Elena was practically struggling to get that box to the surface. She felt the attachment to the necklaces before she even saw them. It was like they were written for her. No, she wouldn't give them to Klaus.

When she returned to the surface, Klaus was obviously waiting for her. But Elena bravely stood away from him, holding the necklaces protectively in her arms. Just about when he was going to grab them away, a light surrounded Elena and the lockets magically opened, until the four lockets rose in the air, joining together as one. Klaus stared in disbelief as the lockets magically changed until they formed a big, dagger-like shape, and the shapes of the lockets were printed on the dagger.

"Kill him," She heard voices say. "He can be killed."

Could she really murder?

This man had murdered her before, without excuse or apology. She should do the same. The thing that she was holding in her hands was apparently the weapon.

"You have the power you desire," The voice continued, "Kill him."

Klaus raised and fled, grabbing Elena and pinning her to the ground, fighting for the new weapon. He bared his fangs to drain her, but she harshly fought him off, earning herself time to run. A man with black hair suddenly jumped in front of her and protected her from any more blows, and she realized it was Damon.

He was fighting Klaus off so that she could run. But no, she couldn't let Damon get hurt anymore. Making her decision, Elena plunged the dagger in Klaus's heart, and the latter barely had time to let out a gasp.

Her bloody fingers let go of the weapon, and she slumped to unconsciousness.

…

"She's been like this for over two hours," Damon said in panic, placing a warm wet cloth on Elena's face. "Hot one minute, freezing the next. She repelled my blood…I don't know what's going on."

He held her hand in his gently as she took deep breaths.

"Can you hear me?" He asked her for the millionth time, stroking her sweaty face. Her hair was spread on her pillow, her body covered in sweat. He couldn't understand what was going on.

He felt a gentle hand on his shoulder, and saw Bonnie.

"Damon, you should know something," she replied heartbroken. "The witches still want Elena dead. She was sent back and it is against nature. They allowed her to live this long because they realized they needed her. Thanks to her, Klaus is gone-The evil spirits are fading. But they don't want to unbalance nature again."

"What are you saying? That Elena's going to die?" Damon shouted, shaking his fist in the air. "I don't give a fuck about nature, Bonnie! All I want is Elena's health. She deserves it, she just got rid of a fucking monster!" He spat, his fist going directly to the wall.

"Damon, calm down!" Stefan tried to calm his brother.

"Don't you dare try to calm me down, Stefan, you lost that privilege many years ago…" He spat through clenched teeth. "Bonnie, help her, please! You have to talk to them…"

"They won't listen, Damon, I tried-"

"She's in pain! She's clearly in pain, she doesn't deserve this…Tell them to suck it or I'm going to be the next monster they need to kill, I swear to God I'll rip every human on earth apart-"

"Damon," Bonnie warned him, "I'll try. But you have to calm down, okay? Elena knew that this was going to happen. She agreed to this."

He stared at her in confusion.

"Elena doesn't remember but I do. When I helped her, I told her that the deal with the witches isn't going to be easy. They allowed her to live long enough to use her abilities to destroy evil. But they also believed that she could change a life. They wanted her to change a life-You were fated to meet, Damon…She changed your life. She changed you."

"I don't understand…you were so surprised when you saw her…"

"Our memories were all taken from us. My memory started to come back in pieces: The photos, the deal…I helped her and pushed her to the right direction. Her mission was you."

"So what, am I supposed to live without her now?" Tears formed in his eyes and he wept-He hadn't done it in a long time-but he wept.

"I'm so sorry, Damon…"

"No," He said determined. "Call on the spirits, Bonnie. Please-Tell them that Damon Salvatore wants to negotiate."

"Damon, I…"

"Please. I want to make a deal. She changed my life, I'll save hers."

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><p>Hmm, I wonder what Damon's going to negotiate... :P<p>

Pls Review!


	20. Chapter 20

A/N: One more chapter after this and it's a wrap up ;)

Please review!

I'd like to thank my wonderful Beta Cdaye8184 for taking the time to arrange my usual mistakes and for adding more descriptions to help me give you readers a nicer story to read. Thanks so much girl, and check out her stories, they are awesome.

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><p>"Damon, I know what you're thinking-But don't, we'll find another way!" Bonnie said, putting her arm on Damon's shoulder. "Do you think she'll be able to live with herself if she wakes up and finds out that she lived because you died? Do you think she would want that? Damon, I know that you want to save her but…"<p>

"What about me?" Damon interrupted her. "Do you think that I can live without her? Bonnie, without her I'm just that drunk vampire who eats humans for lunch. I can't survive without her. Please, call the spirits," He begged, trying to get her to understand. "I can't do this without her. You out of all people should know how important she is to me."

With tears in her eyes, Bonnie nodded weakly.

"No, Bonnie! Don't." Stefan's voice pleaded. "No, not like this-Please, Damon…"

"Do you really care about me, brother?" Damon asked, turning to face his younger brother.

"Damn it, of course I do!" Stefan yelled, "I've been around you all these years, Damon! I was there when Elena died! I was the one who took you home, we cried together, I took care of you…" He stopped for a moment trying to conjure up the right words. "I was there when you begged me to kill you because you loved that little girl so much that you considered her a daughter. Those were your exact words, Damon… "I lost my daughter."

"What?" Damon hissed.

That was Stefan's queue to continue on with the story. Damon may as well know it. "And then, one day I returned like usual and I saw you draining five girls. All at once. When I tried to stop you, you just mentioned that I took Katherine away from you, that Katherine's alive…I couldn't understand. Katherine was dead and we were way over it. Then I mentioned Elena and you seemed like you forgot everything…You told me to get out of your life and I never understood why, until now."

He cleared his throat. "I've been helping Bonnie practice magic. The thing is, that our memories were somehow taken from us…Each day, I started to forget…And so did Bonnie. My memories, however, returned the day I saw Elena, when you brought her in the house. I had the feeling one gets when he thinks he saw a dead person. I instantly recalled, and when I told Bonnie this, she said that she had been having dreams about it. What we couldn't understand, though, why you seemed clueless. We only learned the truth recently."

"What truth?" Damon whispered.

"The spirits erased Bonnie's memories to allow her to let her magic back in. Apparently, after Elena's death, Bonnie's magic was blocked due to grief and pain. They erased mine too. But you…It was a different story. Bonnie realized now, that Klaus compelled you to forget, to block Elena out…" Stefan sighed, not liking the ending of this. "He wanted you to become a strong vampire so in the future you can join him. To turn you against me, he made you believe that Katherine's alive and that I took her away from you. It was all planned, Damon…That's why you couldn't remember. He didn't want you to remember."

"Oh my God," Damon gasped, falling on his knees, his hands holding his head as the words sunk in. He had become a puppet; his life had been controlled by Klaus. And now that he knew the truth, now that he found something worth living for…He was going to lose it. He was going to lose _her._

"I have to help her, Bonnie, I don't care," He said, begging for her understanding. "I can't live without her."

"Damon please," Stefan begged. "Think of what this could mean! I can't lose my brother again!"

"You would lose me if I lost Elena, Stefan. Don't you realize that? Please, if you care about me LET me do this!" His brother begged back. And it was true. If Elena died, he would most probably take off his daylight ring and burn to ashes.

Bonnie turned to Stefan half-heartedly. "It's his choice, Stefan."

Stefan nodded, knowing that it was no use.

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><p>An hour later, they were sitting by Elena's bed, surrounded by candles. The poor girl was obviously in pain, somehow. Sometimes she was hotter than fire, and other times she was so cold that Damon had to bring more quilts to cover her tiny shaking frame.<p>

"Take my hand," Bonnie instructed, "I need to use your energy, and your will, to meet the spirits."

The chanting started, and Damon could feel the energy radiating off the witch and something in his heart-maybe courage? He couldn't tell for sure.

The candles started to feel hotter and brighter, and it was then that Bonnie stopped chanting.

"They're here," She announced, "They are invisible to you, but I am willing to speak in your name."

"Tell them that I want to give my life in exchange for Elena's," He urged looking around for any sign of supernatural life, despite what Bonnie had just said. But no such luck did he find anything.

"They don't want to," Bonnie said, her eyes still close, her lips moving but no sound was coming. Telepathy, Damon thought. She was communicating with them using her mind.

"They have to! Tell them to suck it; she's just a girl, a kid!" Damon screamed, and then begged, "Please! Take me instead! They have to understand how much she means to me, Bonnie. I love her!"

"They are not willing to take your life," Bonnie said, "It was her mission to save it."

"Please, tell me what I can give to let her live," Damon pleaded, "I will do it without second thought. You know she's innocent, she has barely lived."

There was silence, but both Stefan and Damon saw Bonnie nod her head, her eyebrows twitching as she continued to concentrate.

"I understand," She mumbled.

"What? What's going on?" Damon demanded.

"They are willing to negotiate," Bonnie whispered in shock. "They're giving you two options."

"Tell me," He urged, his patience running thin.

"You won't like it, Damon…You have to let her go, it's for-" She began.

"Just tell me!" Damon hissed, getting very fed up with Bonnie.

"They want you to give up your vampirism." And there it was. The bomb had finally been dropped. Damon froze. Of all the things he expected, that was not one of them. He knew that he would give it up for her, hell he was ready to give up his entire existence for her, but the sentence still shocked him. He didn't remember a single thing about being human. He was a creature of the night; he had been like that for over a hundred years. Would he really be able to go back to being weak and fragile and emotional after all this time? Would his heart allow it? Would he even survive?

"What's option two?" He heard himself asking.

"A human can't have powers like Elena has," Bonnie explained, "Her power, determination…It all came because she's simply not a natural human. Your other option is to kill her…and turn her into a vampire. During this process, her traits will all be lost."

Those words were like a stake through his heart. First of all, he did not like the term 'kill her' at all. He couldn't do it, even knowing that she would wake up. And after all, he didn't have the nerve to kill her in her sleep, without talking to her, without asking her if she wants to be a creature of the night. No, he couldn't do it-not when she was so fragile. And he did not want to damn a pure, white soul…He couldn't, she was pure, she was an angel. She was the perfect human, it would be almost impossible to condemn her life. Turning her into a vampire was not only stealing her life and decisions but it would also steal her purity, her genuine nature and innocence.

"Elena has five more hours to live. You have till then to make a decision." Bonnie said, filling him in on everything there was. She tried to sound hopeful but her words came out harsher than anything. It wasn't only Damon losing someone, she was too. She had loved Elena. She still loved Elena. Stefan cared for her; everybody cared for her because of who she was. Elena Gilbert drew you in.

"I don't have to decide anything," Damon said, determined. "I am more than willing to become human if it means saving Elena's life. Just tell me what I have to do."

"Damon, you…" Bonnie tried to reason with him but it was no use.

"I want to do it. Now." The older vampire demanded, not wanting to waste any more time. He needed Elena to be well, and right away.

Bonnie nodded. "The process is a bit long, so I'll explain everything to you. Of course, every spell has its consequences. You know perfectly well that you are dead, and we can't just bring you back as a human who is over one hundred years old. Therefore, Elena will have to give you some of her life force."

"Life force? Meaning soul?" He questioned.

"It is mostly what defines a human being, so yes," She nodded.

"But is it dangerous to Elena?" He said, stroking the unconscious girl's cheek.

"No." Bonnie replied. "However, joining of life-forces means that you two are bonded together. You're soulmates. You can't be free of her and she won't be free of you. Basically, you have to love her till death do you part."

"What happens if one of us dies before the other?" Damon once again asked. He felt like this was one hundred and one questioned but he needed the answers.

"It can't happen. As soulmates, you'll both die at the same place, same time. But, if you…be unfaithful in the future, Elena will die. If she'll be unfaithful, then you die." She explained, watching his expression.

"There is no woman for me except Elena," He continued, "I'll wait for her. She's still a girl. What worries me is what she wants…"

"You don't have to worry about that. The spell will work if you're really fated to be together…romantically." Bonnie explained.

"I'm ready for this," Damon said, standing up. "Tell me what I have to do."

"You have to drink her blood," She said, "And then, you must feed her yours, so that's apart of you is inside her and vice versa."

He winced. He had never bitten Elena before, and he expected it to be under different circumstances. But seeing it's the only way, he moved closer to Elena, and he could've sworn his heart jumped when he heard her murmur his name, her eyes half open, smiling at him and saying "Thank you". She was still weak, but she acknowledged him. And when he placed his mouth on her neck, she still whispered soothing things in his ear.

He started by kissing the area first, and taking a long breath he let his fangs elongate. Then, gently, more gentle than he had ever been, he let them sink in her neck, swallowing her blood and devouring the taste of his soulmate. This was not just feeding, this was a symbol of their love, of their life. Despite her young age, he knew he loved her. He would wait for her now, to get older. To be able to finally be with him. It was finally happening, Damon was going to be happy. That was a huge change in his life and he liked it. It was almost like someone had given him a second chance.

He closed the wounds he had just made by licking them, and then he gently grabbed her and after making a cut in his own neck, he helped her feed from him, allowing her to replace the blood she had just lost.

"What now?" He asked, stroking Elena's neck.

"Just lay next to her," Bonnie instructed, "I'll take care of the rest."

* * *

><p>Pleasure.<p>

Pain.

Excitement.

Warmness.

Both of them, suddenly feeling weak, were experiencing all those emotions as Bonnie chanted the spell, taking Damon's vampire part and officially cleaning his soul. He felt dizzy, and his head had started to hurt, but he heard Bonnie say, "Sleep. You'll wake up as a human and with Elena next to you."

Her voice was full of promise so Damon obeyed her. As he drifted off into the deep slumber that over willed to take him, he thought about him and Elena as humans and he smiled knowing they would always have each other.

* * *

><p>Who knows...maybe you can help me reach 200 if you review... :P<p> 


	21. Epilogue

Final Chapter…I can't believe it! Thanks Cdaye8184 for Beta-ing this chappie for me. Love you! xxx Longer A/N at the end of the chapter :)

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><p>"They have been asleep for three days now, Bonnie," Stefan said worried, "What if they're not going to wake up?"<p>

"The spell worked," Bonnie assured him. "Stefan, they'll be fine, trust me."

"I never asked you about Elena," Stefan commented, walking up behind her. "Is she going to remain a fourteen year old when she comes back?" Stefan had way too many question's, some of Which bonnie didn't know she could answer.

"No," Bonnie answered immediately,expecting his worry. "This spell is to fix everything that was broken. Elena will change to a seventeen year old, and will continue to live her life normally. Just like she was always supposed to.

Stefan nodded, but Bonnie saw through him. "Stefan, I know you. We've been friends for so long now. I know that there is something bothering you."

"It's nothing," Stefan swallowed soundly. "It's just that I've always wanted to be human again... it just pains me. You know? I'm happy for Damon but at the same time I'm jealous."

Bonnie nodded in understanding. "I know this is tough. I'll try to do everything I can for you, maybe practice more…And maybe someday I get it to work on you."

Stefan took a few steps towards her and brushed his fingers along her cheek. "You're an angel, you know that?"

Bonnie smiled, surprised by his display of affection. Even though she was sure that she loved him, she never told him. She didn't have the courage. Numerous times she had attempted to tell him but would be too afraid of his response ro actually go through with it.

That's why her heart started to beat fast in her chest when his face leaned closer to hers, and when their lips met, she didn't know if she was dreaming or not. She had only wished for this day; never expecting he would be the one to initiate said feelings. Dream come true. He wrapped his arms around her and held her closer to him as their lips remained locked.

When he pulled away, Bonnie seemed breathless.

"I wanted to do that for so long," Stefan admitted, stroking her hair away from her face. "Me too," Bonnie smiled a genuine smile as she wrapped her arms around him. "I was afraid that you're still not completely over Katherine.

"Katherine's dead. She's been dead to me longer than she's actually been dead. And she has been dead for years now. You are the one I want to be with, Bonnie. If you give me a chance."

When they were talking, however, a small noise was heard from the bedroom, and the two went immediately only to find Damon curled up to Elena. He was awake, and he didn't seem different physically.

"How are you feeling?" Stefan asked him immediately and impatiently. Elena stirred and opened her eyes. The girl before them was changed into a slightly older woman, and she blinked away the sleep in her eyes.

"I feel strange," Damon said, "I can't see really clearly, and I can't smell... I also have to breathe, it's a weird task after all these years but it's so worth it". He said kissing Elena's hair.

"Your senses are diminished now, Damon," Bonnie explained, "You have less sharp senses, human senses."

Damon nodded in understanding. "Guess it just slipped my mind." He turned to Elena, who was looking at him with her beautiful, wide eyes. She looked different, obviously, she was changed back to a normal, seventeen year old. However, her beauty was there, showing even more on her features.

"How are you feeling, sweetheart?" He asked her, his fingers stroking her face ever so gently. She leaned into his touch, welcoming it, as he stared at her in wonder. How something so beautiful did come to be his? It was strange. He had loved her as a daughter when she was young, and he didn't remember. All he knew of was the fourteen year old angel he grew attached to, the angel that had died before, because of a selfish vampire.

Maybe it was destined for him not to remember her as a daughter. It couldn't have been possible to fall in love with her if he remembered her as a young girl. Because now she looked exquisite. A gorgeous young woman and hr loved her. And truly loved her. He realized that now, if he hadn't; he wouldn't have changed human for her. But he did it for her-him and their newly destined life together.

"I feel fine," He heard her say.

He pulled her in a warm hug, and then turned to Bonnie and Stefan. "Thank you…for everything."

They nodded, leaving the happy couple alone, as they explored their own love.

* * *

><p><strong>Epilogue-Five Years Later<strong>

Damon stroked their baby boy's hand as the little angel stirred in his sleep. Three years after he turned back to human, he and Elena married. And now, two years later, Elena had just given birth to their son, Zack Salvatore. The newborn who was now two weeks old was picture perfect. When his son had been placed on his chest, Damon had cried. He never thought that he'd ever feel so happy.

"He's so beautiful," Elena smiled as she joined her husband. Damon let go of his son's finger so that he could wrap his arms around his wife. "Yes, he is."

"He has your eyes." Elena whispered.

"Yeah," Damon smiled, "But he has your nose and hair."

"I wonder how Stefan and Bonnie are doing with their honeymoon," She smirked, and at that, Damon let out a chuckle. "I know I enjoyed ours."

"Mhm," She purred against his cheek, and he picked her up without warning, swinging her around in the thin air thinking of their time alone after their wedding. It had been beyond perfect.

"Damon! Put me down!" She laughed, but he didn't comply. Instead, he placed her on their bed and tugged at her nightgown.

"Damon Salvatore, I'm tired as hell…But you're so irresistible," She smirked as he proceeded to take off her gown.

"What can I say? I'm awesome". His mouth twisted up into a sideways smirk.

"Yeah, that you are." Elena agreed.

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><p>A few hours later, they were on the bed, covered by the white sheets. Damon was playing with Elena's hair and she was quiet as she grasped her husband's hand.<p>

"Do you miss me being a vampire, Elena?" He suddenly asked her.

She didn't expect that question, so she remained quiet for a while. "I don't know Damon. While I started to fall in love with you as a vampire, you as a human never changed anything. You still protect and cherish me, and if you were a vampire, we wouldn't have Zack now."

"I know," Damon smiled a genuine smile. "I like being human as well. What hurts me is that my brother will have to watch us go…"

"I know," Elena nodded in understanding. "But that's life, I guess." She shrugged.

"It is," Damon mumbled. "But well, you saw how he lit up when he held Zack in his arms. I know that he wants children with Bonnie."

"Life isn't fair…" Elena whispered. She truly felt bad for the newlyweds.

"Tell me about it," Damon kissed her cheek and drew her in. "When they wanted to take you, I was furious. You were going to die, Elena, and I was afraid that I would have to stand idly by."

"You did so much for me, Damon." Elena assured him. "More than you'll ever realize".

"And I don't regret a thing," He assured her. "I love you. I will keep you safe forever, do you understand?"

"Yeah, I do," She said, snuggling to his arms.

And Elena fell into a deep slumber. He kept holding her protectively, like the night he had found her in the woods, and in her sleep, he heard Elena say, "I'm always safe in your arms."

And indeed she was and she would continue to be; forever.

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><p>I can't believe this story is finished. I had a lot of fun writing it, and I hope that you like the ending. I want to thank ALL my reviewers especially Cdaye8184, Vamp Chick 73, , ILoveYou1978 and Deberry and All others (Impossible to mention you all!) who reviewed often and all of my anonymous reviewers. Another thanks to Cdaye8184 for beta-ing this.<p>

Please review one last time and check out "Unnatural Love".

THANK YOU!


	22. New Stories

Hey! First of all, thank you for your wonderful reviews-They made my day and at least I know that people were happy with the ending. I'm writing this A/N on both my finished stories.

Next Monday, Cdaye8184 and me are going to work on a collaboration story which will be loosely based on Beauty and the Beast. Please, do not hesitate to add me and Courtney (cdaye8184) on alert, and read her work because she's awesome.

In the meantime, I am also planning to write an AU, but NOT AH story, so keep an eye for it-It will be something different than I usually do (If I find enough inspiration).

Thanks,

Lots of Love

Amy


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